“It’s not about breaking down borders. It’s about pushing off of them and seeing what amazing places they might bring us“- quite rightly, summarized Amy Purdy.
What’s there at the national borders? Fear, war, hatred, or something absolutely polar opposite? To unearth the truth and spread it to the rest of the Indian regions, Niharika Arora has started one-of-its-kind travel narratives called the What’s at the Border. Quite fascinating right? But how did this 27-year-old steer towards it?
“Border areas are majorly ignored in terms of tourism and other forms of infrastructural development. As a result, their culture and lifestyle stay hidden for decades until they eventually disappear. My aim with this series is to preserve unheard stories and the culture of these border regions for the generations to come. To know where we are going, we need to learn where we have come from.” Niharika conveyed to LifeBeyondNumbers.
The young woman says architecture taught how to and what to find and ways to gather them from the field. Armed with a B.Arch. Degree, Niharika found her calling to get into its depth. It nudged her to embark on a journey as a solo woman traveler, travel blogger, and vlogger. Today, she is famed as Iffy Explorer, with nearly 12,000 subscribers on YouTube and 25K followers on Instagram.
The young adventurer shares that her border series has given her experiences beyond imagination. Niharika has interacted with countless people from these regions and heard their exquisite chronicles. She has covered the 1999 War battleground-Drass in Kargil, Ladakh; the Kutch district of Gujarat, and now Leh district of Ladakh.
Has it been a smooth sail? If not, what kind of challenges has Niharika faced?
“It is not exciting until it is not challenging. Isn’t it? Many of these border regions require special permits keeping national security in mind. Getting that permit and, again, the permission to shoot becomes a big challenge. Besides, scouting for relevant stories hinders the pace. It is always on the ground and on the spot that contacts are made, and research is done. The internet provides limited information about these regions.”
She further adds that meeting people directly affected by border issues becomes quite intimidating.
“I remember meeting a local in Kutch of Gujarat who was sent across the border towards Pakistan to accomplish certain tasks. Unfortunately, he was caught and had to spend 13 years of his life in Pakistan’s jail. Meanwhile, on the positive side, I cherish moments of living with these local people as family members in their modest homes. A family in Drass of Kargil region treated me like a daughter and gave me a lavish room to stay in for two weeks.”
The common opinion about international borders isn’t often too favorable. However, Niharika disagrees and says that the general perception always comes from a place of lack of in-depth knowledge and easy access to information, which is usually one-sided. It is also a fact that these areas are usually heavily guarded and kept under surveillance.
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Being a woman, traveling alone and to bordering states, has it been a hurdle ever?
“Yes, it does! Unlike cities and towns, these are less accessible places with fewer tourists. One has to always stay alert when on the field. Naturally, in case of an emergency, the required help gets restricted. But mostly, people in these tough regions are helpful. It is a great advantage.“
She feels fortunate to have a family that lets her experiment. However, they barely understand this field as they aren’t familiar with social media. As she continued the pursuit of her passion, she earned rewarding experiences. The list of her achievements is quite inspiring.
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“Working for Nas Daily Studios to document the story of a farmer turned entrepreneur has been enriching. Similarly, documenting offbeat villages of Uttarakhand with NotOnMap completely changed my idea of travel. I must admit that Kargil of Ladakh has given me some of the best travel stories.“
The solo woman traveler shares that incorporating wellness with travel has given her the sense of direction she always needed. The aspect of spirituality and the idea of peace within have transformed how she looks at destinations now.
Traveling is a great teacher. Niharika learned how to live a life without regrets yet stay humble wherever and no matter how far or high one goes.
“The journey has been full of ups and downs, experiments and finding and trying to differentiate me from the rest.”
Niharika has rather practical suggestions for aspiring woman travelers who wish to take it as their career.
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“Start early and develop business-building skills that will eventually help build a team and venture into big things without a single person’s setbacks.”
Niharika has a clear vision for her border series. She aims to take it to the OTT platforms and produce more travel-based shows/films/documentaries.
Currently, her border series is a self-funded project. However, she is thankful to Gujarat Tourism for partially taking care of her logistics during the Kutch visit. Eventually, making something big requires substantial financial investment.
“I am looking forward to receiving support from State Tourism Boards, private companies and brands, etc. A little help can let the tales from our borders travel across the country and world.“