Nov 17 (Dna): Aanchal Dhara and her husband Prashant, have undertaken a one-of-a-kind journey, where the duo will travel 582 kms over a span of 26 days—by foot.
‘Two feet & a dream’ is the first project under the duo’s initiative, The Audacious Project, about their journey from Andheri to Morjim Beach in Goa. Aanchal, along with her 3 crew consisting of three people, intend to highlight the deplorable conditions of Indian villages through the lens of her Canon 5D Mark 3. “Prashant and I founded The Audacious Project because we personally have many things on our ‘offbeat’ list that we would like to tick off,” said 30-year-old Aanchal, a journalism graduate from Delhi University, who currently resides in Andheri. “We strongly felt that our busy, urban lifestyles take us away from what we’d rather be doing and so we created a brand that promotes following our passions, whatever they may be. We decided to create audacious, life changing experiences where we’d invite people to join us and experience a little of what it feels to act on our respective dreams and passions."
Aanchal has a support team of her husband Prashant, who is a directing the documentary the duo are shooting about the walk, Ranjeet, their cameraman and Subhash, their car driver and Man Friday. “Our route has been the NH4 mainly,” said Aanchal. “I walked from Mumbai to Pune via the old highway, then on NH4 to Satara and Kolhapur. We left the highway just after Nipani and made our way through Amboli Ghat to Sawantwadi and finally on to Goa via NH 17.”
Aanchal and her crew had planned an itinerary that required them to cover 30 kms every day. “So, on a daily basis, I walk 8 hours, plus an hour and half assigned for breaks, plus some stoppage time for shooting,” she said. “We start daily at 6 am till about 1 pm and take a long lunch break till 3 pm. This is so that we can avoid walking when the sun is at its peak. Then we continue till 6.30 pm or 7 pm every evening. We’re staying in budget hotels along the way, usually next to or near the highway so our travel time to and fro is reduced.”
A regular walker in Mumbai, Aanchal, has been simulating the same distance as the final walk over the last three months, in order to train specifically for this project. She has also been indulging in strength training at the gym twice a week. “On this trip, we’ve had the opportunity to meet and hear the stories of so many Indians from various parts of the country,” said Aanchal. “It has reinforced our belief that people will go several extra miles to follow their dream. We also learnt that people are warm and are ready to help and support a stranger in need without expecting anything in return. The grit and determination of men and women across this country is what makes us a great nation.”