Zenith Irfan

motorcyclist known for Discovery Ride

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Zenith Irfan is a motorcyclist and content creator at Discovery Ride. Irfan's first sponsorship came from Nishat Linen. She was a brand ambassador for Nishat Linen for two years, and the company sponsored her trips.

Early life and background

Irfan was born in Sharjah and says she lived there for at least 13 years. Her father died suddenly of a heart attack at age 34, when she was 10 months old. Her brother is named Sultan. Her mother never remarried and never held a paid job. Her grandmother was a gynecologist. [1]

Her mother decided to move the family to Pakistan. The family was barely making ends meet. Her father came from an army background, which gave the family some benefits, and her uncles sometimes helped the family financially. She says she saw her mother face difficulties as a widow. [1]

Education

Irfan attended an army school briefly before moving to a private school. She studied at the Lahore School of Economics and says she has a degree from it. She says she was the only girl at her university who rode a bike. [1]

Motorcycling

Her father wanted to play guitar and travel the world by bike. Irfan says the motorcycle began around age 15 or 16, when the family faced financial challenges. Her mother and an uncle contributed money to buy a small 70cc bike for the family. She began taking lessons from Sultan in 2013. [1]

Her first trip, in 2015, was to Khunjerab Pass, and it covered 3,200 kilometers. She set off on the GT Road from Lahore on 14 August 2015. She borrowed a bike from a man who was her mentor on the trip. She had not been to Khunjerab before, and she says she was scared during her first long ride. [1]

She has explored Skardu, Shigar Valley and Gilgit-Baltistan. Her second trip went through KP, including Shandur and Chitral. She began taking a trip every year and got sponsors for them. A person who visited her house told her that after seeing her pictures from her first trip, they wanted to take a trip of their own. [1]

Online presence and press

Irfan created a page in 2015. She was very active on social media and wrote about the people she was meeting. She used the page as a diary. [1]

She has kept a diary since she was six, and her mother encouraged her to keep a diary from childhood. She says writing helps her see her thoughts and become self-aware. [1]

Humans of Pakistan did a story about her in 2015. Multiple news publications ran stories saying she was a solo woman traveller. She became known as Pakistan's motorcycle girl. [1]

She says she went with the flow and had no idea it would become viral. Someone told her that her pictures had changed their view of Pakistan and Muslim women. She says that was when she realized the impact she has. [1]

She says she faced backlash from parts of the biking community. She says critics claimed she was lying about travelling solo. She says she cried in the early days of the backlash but used it as motivation. [1]

Motorcycle Girl (film)

A film with the same name, Motorcycle Girl, was made about her life when she was 24. She was contacted by a person who said they wanted to make a film about her. She first watched the film at its premiere in April 2018, and says she cried a lot there. She says the film won an award, and that the person who played her role also won one. [1]

Career and sponsorship

Irfan's first sponsorship came from Nishat Linen. She was a brand ambassador for Nishat Linen for two years, and the company sponsored her trips. She went to Turkey and Nepal. She was also sponsored by Suzuki Pakistan, and Caterpillar gave her shoes in return for a video. [1]

She did small campaigns for a lot of brands, including Sunsilk. She started earning money at the age of 21. She worked as a news editor at Daily Times. She publicly complained about unpaid work, and she was then paid. [1]

Views

Irfan says she did not set out to fight the system when she started riding, and that she never did it for fame or a title. She says change is disruptive and requires protest. She says everyone who does something disruptive will get hate at some point. She says that things slowly tend to become normal, and that this is where societal change happens. [1]

She says riding a bike gives her the full exposure of the road. She says travelling by bike is very cheap. She says women travelling by bike must take extra care over accommodation. She says she has never been harassed on her travels. [1]

She says that as a woman, people would welcome her more. She says she has the privilege of being a woman. She says she has been changed by the people she met on the road. She hopes her journey might lead others to pursue their passions. [1]

Timeline

2013
Began taking lessons from Sultan.[1]
2015
Took her first trip, to Khunjerab Pass, setting off on 14 August.[1]
2015
Created a page and was featured in a story by Humans of Pakistan.[1]
2018
Watched the film Motorcycle Girl at its premiere in April.[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2021-03-26 A motorcycle trip becomes a father's dream delayed Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Where did Zenith Irfan study?

Zenith Irfan attended an army school briefly before moving to a private school. She studied at the Lahore School of Economics and says she has a degree from it.[1]

What is the film Motorcycle Girl about?

A film titled Motorcycle Girl was made about the life of Zenith Irfan when she was 24. She first watched it at its premiere in April 2018. She says the film won an award.[1]

Which brands have sponsored Zenith Irfan?

Zenith Irfan's first sponsorship came from Nishat Linen, for which she was a brand ambassador for two years. She was also sponsored by Suzuki Pakistan. Caterpillar gave her shoes in return for a video.[1]

What was Zenith Irfan's first motorcycle trip?

Zenith Irfan's first trip, in 2015, was to Khunjerab Pass and covered 3,200 kilometers. She set off on the GT Road from Lahore on 14 August 2015.[1]

References

  1. A motorcycle trip becomes a father's dream delayed . Thought Behind Things , 2021-03-26.
Show the source passages (88 statements)
  1. She was born in Sharjah and says she lived there for at least 13 years. I was born in Sharjah. I lived all my life there, at least 13 years of my life there.
  2. Her father died suddenly of a heart attack at age 34. My father suddenly passed away by heart attack at age 34
  3. Her mother never remarried after her father died. and my mom never remarried
  4. She was 10 months old when her father died. I was 10 months old and meri ammi jo thi, she was pregnant with Sultan
  5. Her brother is named Sultan. Sultan my brother would be like kaun aa gaya hai
  6. Her grandmother was a gynecologist. my nani was a gynecologist
  7. Her mother never held a paid job. meri ammi ne apni zindagi mein koi naukri nahi ki
  8. Her mother decided to move the family to Pakistan. she thought it's best fit ke humein apne bachon ko lekar ab Pakistan chali jao
  9. The family was barely making ends meet. we were like, uh, barely making ends meet
  10. Her father came from an army background, which gave the family some benefits. because my father was from the army, to humein thoda benefit tha
  11. She attended an army school briefly before moving to a private school. main army school mein thodi der ke liye padi, but then I shifted to a private school
  12. Her uncles sometimes helped the family financially. my uncles would help us financially
  13. She saw her mother face difficulties as a widow. I saw my mom also face society as a widow
  14. She says the motorcycle began around age 15 or 16, when the family faced financial challenges. eventually leading up to when I was around 15, 16, that's when the motorcycle thing started happening and it started happening because we were financially having challenges
  15. Her mother and uncle contributed money to buy a small 70cc bike for the family. then my mom mamu even contributed a little bit of money to for us to buy a small bike 70cc
  16. She began taking lessons from Sultan in 2013. And 2013 mein then I started having these lessons, taking these lessons from Sultan
  17. Her father wanted to play guitar and travel the world by bike. He wanted to play the guitar, he wanted to play music, he wanted to travel the world on a bike
  18. She studied at the Lahore School of Economics and says she has a degree from it. so I studied in Lahore School of Economics and Marketing and Finance, I have a degree
  19. She says she was the only girl at her university who rode a bike. I was the only girl in my university who would come on a bike
  20. A film with the same name, Motorcycle Girl, was made about her life when she was 24. I got the, you know, honor to have a film made on my life at the age of 24, with the same name, Motorcycle Girl, jisme Sohai Abro was playing my role
  21. She was contacted by a person who said they wanted to make a film about her. Adnan Sarwar messaged me saying ki I want to make a film on you
  22. She first watched the film at its premiere in April 2018. Like April 2018, 17th April ko maine film first time film dekhi thi premiere pe
  23. She says she cried a lot at the film's premiere. I think we cried a lot. We couldn't see the film. I cried a lot.
  24. She says the film won an award, and that the person who played her role also won one. Now it's a film that won an award Sohai won an award for playing my role
  25. Her first sponsorship came from Nishat Linen. So the first sponsorship I got was from Nishat Linen
  26. She was a brand ambassador for Nishat Linen for two years. Nishat ka ek face bane taaki log connect kar sake. So we long gone are the days where we want to showcase a model because people can't relate to that. We want to show you. And that's how they kind of like told me about their concept and I was their brand ambassador for two years.
  27. Nishat Linen sponsored her trips. shout out to Nishat Linen for for doing this. They sponsored my trips
  28. She went to Turkey and Nepal. I went to Turkey, Nepal, worked with Aimen Khan, Minal Khan, Reham, all these
  29. She was sponsored by Suzuki Pakistan. I got sponsored by Suzuki Pakistan
  30. Caterpillar gave her shoes in return for a video. even Caterpillar shoes. They gave me shoes and like aise like aise hota tha Caterpillar shoes ke liye maine video ki
  31. She did small campaigns for a lot of brands, including Sunsilk. I did small small small campaigns for a lot of brands like from you know Sunsilk ke liye bhi kiya
  32. She started earning money at the age of 21. So I started earning money at the age of 21
  33. She worked as a news editor at Daily Times. I was working as a news editing uh like a small post as a news editor in like uh Daily Times
  34. She publicly complained about unpaid work, and she was then paid. They didn't. And I protested. You know like I I wrote down on like a social media that I didn't pay me and then they paid me
  35. A person who visited her house told her that after seeing her pictures from her first trip, they wanted to take a trip of their own. Omayr Jaswal coming to my house and telling me that you know the first trip you took, I remember seeing your pictures and after that I wanted to take a trip for myself
  36. She appeared in the second episode of a show called Rahi. We had Omayr Jaswal's Rahi which was amazing and even I was on the one of the episodes too in second episode mein main thi
  37. She shot a documentary in Kumrat Valley with a German team. like in Kumrat Valley and wahan par I was shooting a documentary with a German team
  38. She has a show called Discovery Ride. yeh aapka show hai jiska naam hai Discovery Ride with Zenit Irfan
  39. The show airs on the Discover Pakistan channel. Discover Pakistan is a new channel that they've started and um uske upar the show is there as well
  40. She got the show without an audition, because she was already working in the field. without any audition kyunke main itna kaam kar rahi thi is field mein
  41. The man who owns the channel gave her the opportunity. Kaiser Sahab jo hain Dr. Kaiser, he he unka channel hai and he gave me the opportunity
  42. Nine episodes of the show had been shot. We have shot nine episodes
  43. She says she rode a bike in snow for the first time. I had to ride the bike in in the like barf mein. Pehli dafa maine chalayi
  44. The show has launched on satellite television and is due on YouTube. abhi unhone launch kar diya hai on satellite but they're going to be soon launching it on YouTube
  45. Each episode runs 20 to 25 minutes. Every each episode is 20-25 minutes long
  46. She says the crew plans to film the north first and the south later. when the north opens hum north jayenge, phir uske baad hum log jab thoda si sardi hogi we'll go to south
  47. She says she has never been to Balochistan and wants to explore it by bike. because I have never been to Balochistan. I want to explore that on bike
  48. She says they plan to cover all of Pakistan. We're going to do all of Pakistan
  49. She describes her long-term vision as building an empire. So like my vision is like an empire
  50. She says she wants to start her own orphanage because she grew up without a father. I really want to have my own orphanage. Oh very cool. Because I feel uh since I was born without a father, I do know ki kya struggle hoti hai
  51. She has ideas for a makeup kit for female travellers, a travelling boutique and a travelling watch. makeup kit specifically targeted for travelers who are female, a traveling boutique specifically only for traveling thing and maybe like a traveling watch
  52. She says she did not set out to fight the system when she started riding. It wasn't like, oh, you know, like I am trying to fight the system or something of that sort
  53. She says she went with the flow and had no idea it would become viral. I went with the flow and I had no idea ke I would it become viral
  54. She says she never did it for fame or a title. I never did it for the fame. I never did it for like a title
  55. She created a page in 2015. Like main 2015 mein hi page bana liya tha
  56. She was very active on social media and wrote about the people she was meeting. I was very active on social media. So like I told you I was writing about these people that I'm meeting
  57. She used the page as a diary. And main us page mein as a diary apni baatein likhti thi
  58. She has kept a diary since she was six. Since at the age of six, main diary likh rahi hoon
  59. Her mother encouraged her to keep a diary from childhood. meri ammi ne mujhe diary likhne ka bachpan se shauk dala dala hua hai
  60. She says writing helps her see her thoughts and become self-aware. So you can then physically see your own thoughts on paper and that kind of helps you to be self-aware
  61. Her first trip, in 2015, was to Khunjerab Pass. in 2015 you took your first trip. That was to to what place? To Khunjerab Pass
  62. Her first trip covered 3,200 kilometers. The first trip I completed 3,200 kilometers
  63. She set off on the GT Road from Lahore on 14 August 2015. 14th August 2015 ko hum GT Road se nikle, it took me like 8-9 hours to reach Islamabad from Lahore
  64. She borrowed a bike from a man who was her mentor on the trip. Mere Adnan bhai the, unse hi maine borrow ki thi, woh bhi mere saath trip pe the. He was my my mentor on trip
  65. She says she was scared during her first long ride. so I was like I was scared. I was scared, yeah
  66. She had not been to Khunjerab before the trip. And had you been to Khunjerab before that? No.
  67. She says riding a bike gives her the full exposure of the road. So you know on a bike you get the full exposure, you feel the road
  68. She says travelling by bike is very cheap. traveling on a bike is very cheap
  69. She says women travelling by bike must take extra care over accommodation. But as a girl you have to be very very careful, right? You have to get proper accommodation, you have to pay for that as well
  70. She says she has never been harassed on her travels. I have never been harassed or never been in a situation where I feel I'm vulnerable
  71. She says that as a woman, people would welcome her more. But as a woman they would welcome me more
  72. She says she has the privilege of being a woman. I have a privilege of being a woman
  73. She says she has been changed by the people she met on the road. because the people I met on the road changed me and they left something in me
  74. Someone told her that her pictures had changed their view of Pakistan and Muslim women. after looking at your pictures you have changed my view of Pakistan and Muslim women
  75. She says that was when she realized the impact she has. that's when I realized the impact I have
  76. She has explored Skardu, Shigar Valley and Gilgit-Baltistan. jisse maine Skardu explore kiya, Shigar Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan ko maine explore kiya
  77. Her second trip went through KP, including Shandur and Chitral. Jo doosra trip tha woh maine KP mein liya jahan pe maine Shandur, Chitral yeh saare areas ko maine explore kiya tha
  78. She began taking a trip every year and got sponsors for them. So like every year then I started taking a trip and and I also was lucky enough to get sponsors for it
  79. Humans of Pakistan did a story about her in 2015. in 2015 Humans of Pakistan ek page tha. I think abhi bhi kafi active hai in in Facebook and they did a story on me
  80. Multiple news publications ran stories saying she was a solo woman traveller. there were multiple news publications that started saying that oh she's a solo woman going
  81. She says she faced backlash from parts of the biking community. back then I also got a huge backlash on the biking community
  82. She says critics claimed she was lying about travelling solo. they would be like she's lying. She was never solo
  83. She says she cried in the early days of the backlash but used it as motivation. I did cry initial days mein mujhe rona bhi bahut aata tha ki maine aisa kya kar diya hai but then I used as a motivation
  84. She says change is disruptive and requires protest. change is very disruptive in nature and change requires a lot of protest
  85. She says everyone who does something disruptive will get hate at some point. everyone is going to get the hate at some point or the other
  86. She says that things slowly tend to become normal, and that this is where societal change happens. it slowly tends to become normal and that's where societal changes happen
  87. She hopes her journey might lead others to pursue their passions. if someone agar kisi ki zindagi change ho jaye towards leading towards that path where they're passionate about something just by witnessing my journey
  88. She became known as Pakistan's motorcycle girl. And after that, everyone started calling me Zeenat Irfan, Pakistan's motorcycle girl.