Nanis on the Highway

A trio from Delhi, calling themselves the ‘Nanis on the Highway’ are settling some very serious travel goals. Neeru Gandhi (62) backpacked with her neighbour Monicka Chanana (54) and Pratibha Sabharwal (62) and travelled a whopping 1700 km in a span of six days. They went along the India- Bhutan border at Phuentsholing, an adventure that took them through four states.

As Neeru explains, she was always the travelling vagabond amongst her friends. Spending all her life looking after her kids and indulging in household chores, she had ample of time when she grew older. That’s when she decided to rope in friends who were ready to go on adventures. In 2016, she finished a drive from Delhi to Rameswaram along with Monicka and her sister, Sarita which was prompted by an earlier trip from Delhi to Haridwar with her son. She convinced the other two to join her voyages, and as surprising as it sounds the trio are well- seasoned road trippers. In the beginning, their expeditions raised a lot of eyebrows as three elder women travelling alone don’t get much positivity from the society. However, the nanis didn’t bow down to the norms and quite easily broke the stereotype associated with them. They learnt how to use tripods, selfie sticks and opened a blog called ‘Women on the highway’ to share their amazing experiences.

The recent trip was one of their finest and the longest journey they have undertaken together as a team. They even tried fun activities like traditional archery at Thimpu, followed by a strict routine of devouring local butter tea and delicacies. Their trip went on to Paro Valley, where they also attended the eponymous dance festival dating back to the 17th century. Unfortunately due to health issues, Sarita was unable to join them for this trip. With this trip ending on a grand scale, the nanis want to reach new heights and have invited other like-minded women to join them for their next trip.

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