Deaf teacher Archana Timmaraju rides from Bengaluru to Ladakh to build greater inclusion

Archana Timmaraju, a deaf and speech impaired biker from Bengaluru, received a warm welcome in Chandigarh as she halted for a stopover on her way back from Ladakh.

The 33-year-old started the 8,000-km long journey from Bengaluru to Ladakh on 29 April and hopes to return home by 29 May. Accompanying her on this journey is an interpreter and colleague Daniel Sundaram.

Archana was greeted by 20 deaf and hard of hearing people when she stopped in Chandigarh. They were all waiting to hear her experiences. Archana says she wants this ride to open a new world for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Archana, who is an arts and metal sculpture teacher at a Bengaluru school also hopes to build greater inclusion. She sees this journey as an effort to explore herself and share her experiences with society.

Archana got her first experience of riding when a friend gave her a Yamaha RX 100 bike. She started riding with other bikers in Bengaluru. She eventually went on to found a company called Silent Expedition to create more opportunities for the hearing-impaired to explore the world.

She has been hosted by various riding clubs and members of deaf communities in cities like Davangere, Belgaum, Thane, Vapi, Vadodara and Udaipur.