Kochi (Kerala): A radio jockey who is also a solo motorcyclist tours all over the country to encourage and give strength to the spouses of brave soldiers. Ambika Krishna from Kerala had lost her husband, an Air Force officer when she was 19. And hence embarked on a journey to inspire others like her.
Ambika hails from Kochi in Kerala. Her husband Sivaraj was an Air Force officer who died while on duty in 1997 when Ambika was pursuing her graduation at the time. It was quite a tough time for her at that time, but she came out victorious against all odds, and now wants to motivate others who faced similar situations like her. Hence, she began her All-India solo ride on April 11 from Kochi collectorate, flagged off by district collector Jaffar Malik.
So far Ambika has finished touring Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and a few parts of Andhra Pradesh. She shares her life experiences through radio broadcasts from the stations on the way to her ride. Her solo ride expedition would cover all the 25 Rainbow stations across the 17 states. Through these broadcasts, Ambika explains the hardships she faced as she was left widowed with a three-month-old daughter.
Though the toughest time was when Sivaraj passed away. At that time Ambika had been studying B.Com and had many papers to clear. Hence her friends had to take care of her daughter Arya while she prepared for the exams. Yet through these tough times, she came out victorious against all odds. She later joined as a part-time assignee in Akashvani as an RJ and also began learning cost accounting at ICWAI.
Her work at Akashvani had a positive impact on her. She felt encouraged and used her motivation to learn computer skills and bagged a job as an accountant. As Ambika’s friends had been really supportive, she had later started her own solo bike ride on April 11 at her own expense. Later, she had also decided to cover 12,000 kilometres across the country. For now, she has finished 3,500.
She expects to complete the total ride in under 50 days. She would be sharing her experiences through the radio stations along her journey. Ambika explained that she is also doing this as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Moreover, she is also creating awareness about the services of soldiers to the country. She says that till now the Akashvani’s staff at every station has been really supportive.
She travels about 350 to 500 kilometres a day. On one of the journeys, Ambika said that she had met with an accident while riding across Tamil Nadu. Even though she rested for a few days, there was quite the pain from the injury. Despite the pain, she said she resumed the ride. She says that little difficulties along the way do not bother her as she has embarked on the ride as a tribute to the soldiers who served the nation.
