Off-roading mania sweeps India: Thrill-seekers conquer challenging terrain
Surgery and off-road driving are so similar,” says Dr Vani Parmar, 62, who recently retired as professor of breast surgical oncology from the Tata Memorial Centre, Khargar, Mumbai. “Both fields require precision, quick reaction times and an ability to handle challenging situations.” A mammoplasty may be slightly different from a slushy drive for some, but both are Parmar’s deep passions. While she continues to work as a breast cancer surgeon, she also finds time to get behind the wheels of her Mahindra Thar.
“The Thar loves the mud but she hates tar roads,” she says. Like her 4x4 SUV, Parmar finds off-roading “the best stress-buster”.
“Indian society has set boundaries on what women can do. I wanted to break those boundaries and challenge myself,” says Naaji Noushi, 34, who hit the headlines with a solo drive in her Thar from India to Qatar during the FIFA World Cup 2022, ear ning praise from Anand Mahindra, chair man of the Mahindra Group, on her extraordinary journey.
Noushi, who divides her time between Kerala and Abu Dhabi, is a solo off-roader. She says whenever she goes on a drive, her mother or husband takes care of the children. “Both my mother and husband are very supportive when I am away,” she says.
“A woman faces many challenges in her life. Offroading is nothing compared to them, if one gets the hang of the vehicle.”
Off-roading literally means that—to go off the road. It begins where the paved roads end.
