The only thing that stands between chasing your dreams is your ability to walk the talk. Nelson Mandela had famously said that “it always seems impossible until it’s done”; and Aanchal Dhara Madan has made the impossible look easy by living her dream.
Armed with sheer willpower and the support of her team and friends, Aanchal walked 582 kilometers from Andheri in Mumbai to Morjim Beach in Goa over a period of 26 days as part of the ‘Two Feet & A Dream’ project.
This is the first project under the brand ‘The Audacious Project’ that was founded by Aanchal and her husband Prashant Madan with both being firm believers in the power of dreaming big.
Aanchal is a photographer and Prashant a director by profession and has also directed the short film they intend to create about the walk. While Prashant managed the operations – route planning, nutrition, lodging, etc – their support team consisted of two more people.
“We strongly felt that 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 dreams and passions. We hope it would inspire them to step out of their comfort zone and act on their dreams. That’s also why we titled this project ‘Two Feet & A Dream’,” said Aanchal.
Recalling the day 1 of the walk, Aanchal said she was really excited and equally nervous. “I think I walked too quickly that day, almost in a hurry to get out of the city and into the real outdoors. But then, your training kicks in and you find a rhythm that works for you. It’s important to match the training with the actual endeavor, especially in ultra sports where the finish line is weeks away. I had planned to walk 30 km every day, not less, not more, unless really required. The key was to replenish my stamina and energy in cycles so I would always have something in reserve in case things went south,” said Aanchal.
Aanchal walked from Mumbai to Pune via the old highway then on NH4 to Satara and Kolhapur. They left the highway just after Nipani and made their way through Amboli Ghat to Sawantwadi and finally on to Goa via NH 17.
They preferred the NH5 as they felt this route was much safer and wider to walk on. The other advantage was the variety of landscape – concrete cities, wide-open sugarcane fields, green hills and ghats, quirky villages and glassy rivers.
To prepare for this trip, Aanchal walked from Mumbai to Pune in 2014 and did strength training in a gym twice a week. “I am a regular walker in Mumbai and walk throughout the year. To train specifically for this project, I began walking smaller distances (10 km) everyday about 6 months before the Goa walk. Closer to the date, I started to simulate the actual distances I would undertake,” said Aanchal.
She pointed out that in year and a half, she had trained enough to realize her dream and that ‘it only takes once and how after that you never go back’.
Aanchal also remarked that ‘it’s safe for women’ and how she was expecting to have a hard time physically and also to feel a little unsafe on the highway, passing through some long, desolate patches but that nothing of the sort happened.
“I had some chaffing and boils on the feet but nothing serious that has kept me from achieving the planned 30 km every day. I’ve also only had pleasant experiences with locals. There have been a lot of curious glances and questions, but I’ve never felt unsafe even for a second. In fact, people along the way have offered me anything they could spare – sugarcane juice, water, tea, a hot meal. It was their way of contributing to my goal. It’s been a life changing experience to witness the goodness of people and the support they give even if sometimes, they don’t speak the same language,” added Aanchal.
After the experience, the walk project taught them about leaving space for all kinds of surprises and to ‘expect the unexpected’.
Asked to comment on the contrast between the fast paced life of the city dwellers and then to walk alone on the highway, she compared it to being a dot on a really large landscape.
“The walk project gave me time to introspect, to be amazed, to empathize, to discover and motivate. Above all, it made me a more patient person… something I never thought was possible. It’s very exciting to make connections with oneself and to not hold back and feel free as you allow the universe to throw new experiences at you. It’s honestly been one of the most liberating experiences of my life so far,” said Aanchal.
There were moments of comic relief during the walk and the team pointed out that Aanchal became a source of amusement for commuters passing by; especially people in 2-wheelers would see an almost bald girl walking on the highway dressed in fluorescent clothes. The team recalled how they would turn their necks to get a better look and almost inadvertently started to drift to the middle of the road, until a much larger vehicle would honk from behind and make them get back in their lanes.
Towards the end of the journey, Aanchal felt there was a perceptible change in the environment when she approached Goa. “When you’re on the road, it’s easy to recognize that you’re in Goa. The earth turns reddish, the coconut trees dot the landscape in beautiful, symmetrical lines and the roofs of huts slope downwards with red tiles. It’s a beautiful and nostalgic feeling,” added Aanchal.
When asked why they chose Goa, Prashant and Aanchal said they visit Goa at least thrice every year and that Goa is like a second home for them and that Morjim is their favourite beach.
“That’s also the reason we decided to finish the walk at Morjim. We felt we wanted to pay homage to the land that draws us in ever so often,” said Aanchal.
On the final day, she finally ran out of land to walk on and she remembered that here was only the ocean as far as the eye could see.
“I would have really expected to sit down on that beach and order a victory beer… instead I told Prashant I wanted to continue walking! He jokingly said – ‘if you keep going down same road…it’ll take you to Kanyakumari’. Maybe I will!,” Aanchal concluded.
