FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Najira Noushad is driving solo from Kannur to Doha to watch Lionel Messi

An ardent football fan, Najira is all set to watch Messi play on December 1

Along the busy Mumbai-Hampi highway, Najira Noushad parks her Mahindra Thar, and pulls out a cylinder from the back of the vehicle. She sets a saucepan of water to boil, makes a quick Sulaimani chai and pours it in paper cups. She is then joined by locals of the area who sit down and enjoy the beverage. It’s like a picnic by the roadside. But Najira is on a mission: to drive solo from Kannur (Kerala) to Doha (Qatar) for the FIFA World Cup in November. She started this journey on October 15 from her hometown Kannur — it was flagged off by Anthony Raju, Minister of Road Transport, Government of Kerala. 

“I drove through Calicut, Kochi, Coimbatore, Salem, Bengaluru, Hampi, and Pune to Mumbai,” says Najira, over a call from Mumbai. “From Mumbai I will be flying to Oman while my vehicle (named Olu, meaning girl in Malayalam) will be shipped across. I will continue my drive from there through Dubai to Qatar,” she adds. She drives around 600 kilometres a day, starting off at 6am on most days. “Sometimes I drive at night too. I really enjoy the calm,” says the 34-year-old. And everyday by around 11am, she stops by the side of the road and quickly rustles up a simple meal for herself, mostly upma, puttu or ghee rice. The back of the vehicle is well-stocked with grocery, kitchen equipment, and a bed. “This is a home on wheels,” she laughs. 

An ardent football fan, Najira was 14 when she started watching the sport. “My mother’s sister and brothers are crazy about it too and I remember them shouting “Goal” and clapping and shrieking in delight every time a team they supported won,” she says. Her sole focus has been on Lionel Messi and Argentina. She is all set to watch her icon play live on December 1, in what will be his last World Cup. Perhaps, this is why she was all the more revved up to do this drive. 

“I live in Oman with my husband and children,” says Naji. But I wanted to start this drive from my hometown Thalaserry in Kannur, so I came down to India, she explains, adding that she had taken up other expeditions in the past such as a solo hitchhiking journey from Kuttanad to Everest Base Camp. An influencer, she says she is better known as Naajinoushi Solo Mom Traveller on YouTube and social media, where she keeps documenting her adventures. When Najira started out she did not have the financial backing.Her husband used to fund them. But now, thanks to her YouTube channel and sponsors, she can take care of the travels by herself. By doing this drive is that she wants to prove that women can do anything. “I am a homemaker and if I can follow my dream of travelling, so can the others,’‘ she says adding, “Sometimes kids only think of their fathers as role models. I want my kids to say, “My mamma is my role model.”