Three Indian women drivers completed a historic expedition of travelling across 24 countries in 70 days on a Tata SUV, and hoisted the Indian flag at the High Commission in London to mark the end of their journey, on 5th June. The ladies, Meenakshi Arvind, 45 from Coimbatore, Priya Rajpal, 56 from Mumbai and Mookambika, 38 from Pollachi embarked on the road trip from Coimbatore to London in a Tata Hexa Vehicle crossing 24 countries, covering a distance of 24,000 kms.
The team will fly back to India while the SUV will be shipped and returned to sponsor Tata Motors Limited. Organisers said that the total cost of the trip is around INR 60 lakh.
Asian Voice spoke to the three stalwarts in London. Speaking about their expedition, and what it means to them individually, Mookambika, the 38-year-old Software engineer and yoga teacher from Pollachi said this was her first experience outside the country. “The entire journey was beautiful. We need to live through the moment, and despite our differences, people across the world are the same... but India has to come a long way in terms of cleanliness and we have to look at the way we take our country for granted. Women's emancipation and their literacy and uplifting them needs to be given priority... It is wonderful to be in London and we are looking forward to coming back here and frequently being associated with the Indian diaspora.”
Meenakshi, a Business Management graduate runs a spinning mill, a resort and exports and has travelled, studied and lived abroad said “I think Indian women should follow their dreams and do what their heart desires... I hope this drive has inspired many Indian women to follow their dreams.” She spoke about how the three drivers, who were complete strangers from diverse backgrounds came together to form a team, driven sheerly by their passion for the road, behind the wheels, "through a Facebook page called XPD2470."
Priya Rajpal, an Advertising Professional philosophises the journey: “the drive was just a metaphoric manifestation of doing what we want to do. Life itself is a journey and we are all here to make the most of it, and make our life count... this journey was the most fabulous learning experience one could ever have.”
Their mission is celebrating the 70th year of India's Independence and to promote the cause of ‘Rotary India Literacy Mission’, spreading awareness about women’s empowerment and literacy. Asha Kiran is a world literacy mission initiative of Charity organisation Rotary for Child Development with the purpose of sending 100,000 children back to School.
Despite their meticulous planning the three faced several challenges in their mission. They were stuck at 13,000 feet above sea level in Kirkisthan, where at -15C, their diesel froze and they spent two days trying to get a permit they were not aware of, in Thailand. But their strong determination made them make up for the lost time and they were able to complete the expedition in the stipulated time.
They crossed Myanmar, China, Kyrgzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Austria, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, The Netherlands to reach London last week. Our heartiest congratulations to the three women of steel, and your initiatives to raise the bar for the women in India.
