Bold girls set to steal Republic Day show

BHUBANESWAR: All eyes were on a 14-member girls' daredevil team showing off their maneuvering skills on three scooters on Mahatma Gandhi Marg on Thursday. The girls were busy practising for their show at the Republic Day parade to be held on Sunday.
Their trainer claimed that theirs was probably the first all-girls' daredevil team in the country.
Their superb balancing skills and formation riding took the breath out of spectators who were here to watch the practice session on Wednesday afternoon.
The girls, who are all students of Maharshi College of Natural Law and in the age group of 18 to 21, will show off acts like pyramid formation, parallel bar, fire jumping and suicidal crossing. Although their acts may appear dangerous, the girls are also doing their bit by spreading the message of 'absolute road safety and respect to life' through their performance.
"This is probably the first all-girls' daredevil team in India. The formation will look like a Sukhoi aircraft and will continue for about 10 minutes," said flying officer Mihir Ranjan Saran, the group's trainer.
Saran said the girls started training for the daredevil show about a month ago because they wanted to do something adventurous and innovative.
"The girls are not doing really performing stunts. They are showcasing their skill of endurance, balance, maneuvering and co-ordination. What they are showing on the road is extremely tactical and needs lots of practice," said Saran, who is also a professor in physics at Maharshi College of Natural Law.
During the show, the three scooters will move at a speed of eight to 12km per hour and take about seven minutes to cross the 650 metre stretch while 11 other girls showcase their balancing skills.
"To perform the daredevil show, one does not need any physical strength. What one really needs is will power which helps us perform the difficult acts," said Chinamyee Bhuyan, who is heading the team.
Another team member, Sheley Anand, a Plus Three second-year student, said they had undergone self-defence training, which had increased their self-confidence.
"When we saw our boys' team performing the daredevil show, we were inspired to do the same," said Anand.
"After watching their performance during the practice session, about 100 girls approached me to train them to perform the daredevil show," Saran added.