Q&A With Zenith Irfan: “The Girl Who Aimed For The Stars And Conquered The Skies”

The name “Zenith” means ‘The highest peak’ or “the time at which something is the most powerful or successful”. In astronomy, “Zenith” is the highest point reached by a given celestial object.

I don’t know about anyone else, but if there is one person who truly and absolutely fulfilled the meaning of their name, It is Zenith Irfan; the first female Pakistani motorcyclist to ride 3200 kilometers from Lahore, through Northern Pakistan and up to the Khunjerab Pass which borders China.

Zenith Irfan is an inspiration for not only Pakistani women but for all the women around the globe.

And Zenith Irfan is no ordinary girl. She is the girl who lost her father at the age of only 10 months. She is the girl who asked her mother, about the dreams of her late father. The girl, who then decided to live her father’s dream, to ride all across the world on a motorbike, The girl who, at the age of 18, started to learn to ride a bike when her younger brother bought a simple 70cc bike. And at the age of 20, went on to fulfill the lost dream of her father.

She is the girl who dared to dream, dared to defy stereotypes in a conservative country like Pakistan, the girl who dared to stand up for woman empowerment. The girl who was titled “Pakistan’s Boundary Breaking Girl” by CNN, who is known as; “1 girl 2 wheels” by her fans on social media, and whose life story inspired director Adnan Sarwar to produce the film “Motorcycle Girl,” which in turn, inspired thousands of people.

There are times in life, like this pandemic, when we could all use some inspiration, something to keep us moving forward, something to elevate our spirits, something to revive our faith in the power of dreams, and strength acquired through struggle and pain. So we decided to catch up with the girl who didn’t let any challenge, stereotype, criticism, or the ever-present danger to stop her from her dreams, who rode along mountains, rivers, lush landscapes, and treacherous roads. The girl who aimed for the stars and conquered the skies.

The Q&A Session

(A.K.A One Of The Most Inspirational Interviews You’ll Ever Read)

Describe yourself in three words?

The three words would be empathetic, determined, and caring. I think I have a very empathetic nature, you know, I have this ability to put myself in someone else’s shoes and understand exactly what they are feeling. Determined; I have the energy and the will power to do something I really want to do. I think I am very caring, and I love this thing about me, the caring, motherly nature. 

We all know that it was your father’s dream that inspired you to embark on your motorcycle journey across Pakistan, We want to know, what inspired you to stay motivated throughout the voyage?

Probably the entire journey itself, the journey from one pitstop to the next. When I used to reach a pitstop, for example, from Lahore to Islamabad, or Islamabad to Naran, all the demotivation, hurdles, and the exhaustion of the journey would disappear. The thought that “I didn’t come this far, to only come this far” kept me moving forward. Another thing that kept me motivated was “Pain”.  I channeled the pain of depression, heartbreak, loss of loved ones, and lost friendships Into my motorcycle journey. 

What would you say to someone who has never been out of their hometown? What are they missing out on?

You have to go out! Because, if you don’t come out of your comfort zone you will not be able to learn about different people and different stories. One of the most beautiful things about traveling is how it educates you. Sure, you can learn as much as you want through books, but traveling gives you an on-hand experience of living life, and feeling life, and hearing different types of stories from different types of people. So this would be the message I would give to these people.

What’s the best souvenir you have ever collected while traveling?

 The best souvenir I’ve collected so far would be a “little Buddha”. I went to Nepal for a work trip and found this small, cute, statue of Buddha and I loved it so much. I also got these little flags from Nepal that I tie around my bike as a souvenir. I also have handmade necklaces from Kalash and Kashmir and they are very close to my heart because they were gifted to me by small girls who saw me on my bike. I was also welcomed by these flower necklaces when I visited a house in Kalash. And in Kale, Kashmir, a little girl gave me a handmade necklace too, I kept all of these and they will always be close to me.

What were the things you always kept tucked away in your backpack while riding?

 My Gear would be my top priority, then my helmet, good boots, rain covers, warm clothing for cold areas, Maps, my phone, of course, extra cash, an emergency contacts phonebook in case the phone gets lost, and a first aid kit. These are the essential things that I always keep with me. 

Talk about the biggest failure you’ve had. What did you learn from it?

I don’t think I have any failures in my life, everything I did in my life so far, gave me a learning experience. So I can’t say I have any failures or any regrets because I learned a lesson from them. They always benefitted me. For example, In terms of my personal friendships and relationships with people, I’ve had that learning on how to deal with people, university life taught me how to interact, and communicate, so everything is a learning experience for me and nothing is a failure, I know it sounds surprising, but I just don’t take things as failures I take them as tests and then pass them or  “try”  to pass them at least.  

What keeps you going when things get tough?

What keeps me going is the fact that life is so short, you know, my father passed away at the age of 34. Imagine someone so young, someone, who thinks that they are gonna wake up the next morning, to do this or that and he doesn’t wake up. The fact that life is so uncertain is what pushes me to live life to the fullest. These are the things I remind myself when things get tough. Another thing I keep reminding you when I’m depressed is that time never stays constant it keeps passing, and you learn to stay stable with it. 

Who is the most interesting person you’ve ever met on your travels?

Actually, there too many people, In Naran I met this really old woman, and she was carrying wooden logs on her back, and she was like 80+, and she was taking them to build up a fire to heat up her home, such an old woman and such a heavyweight, I learned that these village people had some incredible strength and courage. And I also met these little girls in Kashmir, they had so many dreams and inspirations about studying, I heard so many stories from so many people, so can’t say, one person.

What is the most beautiful place you have ever set foot on? Has a certain location ever taken your breath away?

Phander valley in Gilgit was extremely beautiful.  I was mesmerized by it’s beauty, I kept stopping every 1 or 2 kilometers, I wanted to discover it more, and also Ghizar valley. These two are by far, the most beautiful places I have ever set foot on. Apart from that, in Skardu, I’d say Gojal Valley and Shigar valley and Also Khaplu valley. These were the most interesting and beautiful places. 

What’s the most dangerous or scariest thing that’s happened to you while traveling?

When we were riding from Gabral valley to Kharkhari lake, my bike’s tire got stuck in a wooden structure that was used a bridge and I fell In the river, along with the bike. The guide pulled me out. This by far the scariest that happened to me. The River was cold and fast-moving, it was night time and there were no hospitals or houses in the vicinity. So I think this was a very dangerous experience for me, but I learned from it and i did not stop riding and the locals helped me a lot. 

What do you absolutely love the most about traveling? 

The fact that I am in control of my bike, and experiencing everything through, it is what I love the most about traveling. My bike is an instrument, through which I hear the stories of the mountains and the valleys, and then tell these stories to the people. So, this whole procedure of leaving my home and listening to these stories and then conveying them through my social media to the people is the best thing. Every day is a new day when you are traveling, every day you meet new people and this excites me a lot. 

What’s the most fearless, craziest thing you have ever done?

Oh my God, I have taken my bike up to so many dangerous places, numerous times, without even thinking, like I once went into lake Saif ul Malook, and the experience with Kharkhari lake, and places where even jeeps can’t go I just take my bike up to them. I’ve done so many crazy things, but the one thing I specifically remember, Is that when we were traveling from Kalam to Kumrat, which was an extremely difficult track for a bike rider, it started to sleet, (There is also a video of this event which I’ve uploaded on my page) the whole surface of the track was covered with hailstones, it was completely white, the bike was slipping, but we were still traveling, so yes, this is the craziest thing I did.

What’s your best advice for handling criticism?

The people who criticize me or disapprove me, I swear to god, I pray for them because these are the people who don’t love themselves so they show their hatred to everyone else. Secondly, I’d advise you to take criticism positively, take it as inspiration, if someone says why are you doing this, then you should do that thing more, take it as a challenge, when someone leaves an online comment like why are you doing this or don’t do this, I will do that thing more, comment will give me the motivation to go to more places and upload more pictures, Like it’s a kind of reverse psychology, if you do this, you can easily handle criticism.

What has been the most interesting item of food you’ve tasted?

There are many delicious dishes I’ve tried in Kpk and Baltistan. They cook their food in apricot oil, the names of their dishes is very difficult though. There is one dish which I particularly remember, you will think it is a very common food, but when we were in Phander valley, we went into this dhabba, and ate french fries with tea, I had never tasted so delicious fries and I will never forget them.

What’s the worst piece of travel advice you’ve received? 

The worst piece of travel advice I always get is that there are certain places I can’t go on my bike, certain lakes or mountains, where bikes can’t go because the track is very dangerous. This is the worst advice because how can they say that I can’t go somewhere when they haven’t even tested me When they don’t even know my potential. I never pay heed to such advice and always prove them wrong.

You said that your journey was the journey of self-discovery. What has surprised you the most about yourself? What is the most enlightening thing your travels have taught you?

I think I never knew I had so much strength and stamina, I used to think I was lazy because, at home, I am kind of lazy, but when I started riding, I was surprised by my own skills. I never realized that I can ride a bike for such long periods of time. Another thing I found out, was that nothing ever scares me, I can really face anything, I’ve done bungee jumping and cliff diving. I always just put my trust in Allah and recite Ayat ul Kursi and then just dive into any dangerous activity. And one of the most enlightening things I’ve discovered in my travels is that there are certain places where you feel that your soul, mind, and body is balanced, they sync with each other. For example, Now that I’m here in Lahore, my body is doing something, while my mind is elsewhere. But while traveling, like when I was in Karpaira desert, I actually felt my mind, body, and soul completely in sync with each other.

What’s the first thing you do when you get home from traveling?

I just hug my mother, this is the first thing I literally do after I come back home every time from a long trip.

What would you say to your 18-year-old self?

I would tell my 18-year-old self that, don’t be so hard on yourself. I used to do a lot of overthinking (which I still do) but back then, I was extremely anxious, I would worry so much about my future, I’d tell her to be gentle to and kind to yourself, good things will eventually come.

What is still your biggest challenge?

I’m trying to create proper a brand with my name. This is like the biggest challenge I’m facing right now, I’m confused about how to document my stories, and how to portray and market these stories because I don’t want any faults or discrepancies in conveying them, Although I am a good communicator and a good orator, but still, this is a huge challenge for me.

What are your favorite books or movies?

I don’t have a favorite-favorite movie, but I recently watched a movie called ‘Miracle in cell no. 7, it’s a Turkish movie and it’s absolutely beautiful. It’s a story of a father-daughter relationship. I’ve also watched the series “breaking bad” and I loved it. In books, I’ve completed an Urdu book called “Labayk” by Mumtaz Mufti and it’s Amazing. And I’m also currently reading “A long walk to freedom” by Nelson Mandela, I’m halfway through it but it already feels like it’s gonna be my favorite book so far.

What is your favorite quote or motto?

My favorite quote, this is a good question, I think, The quote “Good things come to those who wait” And my favorite motto would be “Face and Embrace the fear and the unknown”.

I know you’re an animal lover, What’s the most interesting animal you’ve seen on your journey,?

Marmot. I saw them in Deosai, and I had never seen such an animal before in Pakistan, It was certainly interesting to see them, and I also heard that there are bears in this area, though I didn’t get to see them.

Where would you like to visit next?

In Pakistan, I’d say Balochistan and Sindh. In abroad, it would be South America, Also South Asia, Bangladesh, Kazakshtan, and Uzbekistan. It’s my aim to visit these places.

What is your best memory of your trip?

I have so many. Especially In Kalash, Chitral, I had so many amazing memories there. Every small memory is so precious to me, I can’t just pinpoint one. But I want to say that the first time I rode my bike on the highway, in the northern areas, that memory is unforgettable.

How did you promote woman empowerment?

To be honest, I haven’t consciously promoted it, I just talked about it, like I just talked about what I did and how it strengthened me as a woman. There is this slogan of my brand that your dreams don’t have a gender, they are not male or female. Dreams are basic right, so that’s that.

What do you want your legacy to be? How do you want to be remembered?

I want people to remember me as the woman who trusted herself, trusted in her dreams and she went into the unknown and the uncertain and faced it. She surrendered herself to her journey and learned a lot from it.

The movie “Motorcycle Girl” was amazing. How did the biopic impacted you?

In two ways, First, I really loved the fact that people felt inspired by me. I agreed to this story because I wanted my story to inspire people. I also felt a sense of responsibility to prove myself worthy of this honor, it kept me motivated. And I was also very grateful to Allah.

I know you have delayed all your plans due to the pandemic, how are you coping with the lockdown?

I’m coping up because my friends are here for me, My family is also very supportive so this amazing support circle helps me a lot. I also play video games and I write a lot, I’ve loved writing since my childhood. So these things keep me busy. 

Where do you wish you were right now?

I wish I were somewhere in an isolated village in Kashmir. Living a simple village life in a small house, with cattle and all. 

What is one message you would give to your fans?

Trust yourself, your gut feeling, your heart, and most importantly your dreams. If you don’t respect yourself no one is going to either. Learn to value yourself, forgive yourself, and love yourself. And Remember, Dreams don’t have a gender.

In the end, I’d like to say that it was a tremendous honor to interview Zenith, I’ll be eternally grateful for this opportunity. Make sure to follow Zenith’s blog for more inspiring stories.

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