The two things this mother of five from Kerala is most passionate about are football and travel. And with the FIFA World Cup just a few weeks away, it is a given that Naaji Noushi, a housewife from Mahe, won't give it a miss as the biggest football extravaganza returns after four years.
Thus, Noushi, an ardent traveller, YouTuber, and vlogger, has decided to travel alone in her Mahindra Thar to watch the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, reported news agency PTI. She started her trip on Wednesday from Kerala's Kannur, with Transport Minister Antony Raju flagging off her journey in the presence of village panchayat authorities.
She travelled to Mumbai via Coimbatore driving her Thar, which she calls "Olu" (which means woman in local parlance), for over 1,000 km. She will then land in Oman by ship.
She will then travel by road, passing through Arab nations, including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia before arriving in Qatar, which is this time hosting the FIFA World Cup.
Noushi claimed she might be the first woman from Kerala to undertake such an arduous trip across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations and that too to watch the football world cup.
"My plan is to enter Qatar by December 10 and watch the finale. I am so excited about this trip. I am a hardcore Argentina fan and Lionel Messi...really want to see my favourite team lifting the cup," she told PTI. She will remain in Qatar till December 31.
Noushi said that since her vehicle was fully packed with all necessary culinary supplies, the journey was anticipated to be a complete van-life experience. She plans to park the vehicle near toll plazas and petrol pumps and stay within it during nights.
She further said that her Oman driving licence had already been converted into an international one.
"I am a person who has been dreaming to see an Indian team playing the FIFA World Cup. Through this innovative trip, I am trying to be a part of the gala by reaching there in an Indian-made vehicle," she further said.
Noushi has completed her Plus-Two and married Noushad, an NRK, when she was young. She gave birth to her first child when she was just 19 years old. Noushi said her youngest child is just two years old but her mother was taking care of her children.
She referred to her family as a "pillar of support," saying that her husband and kids were her true supporters and urged her to travel more.
She already completed four travel series, including an all-India trip to Ladakh. The photos and videos of her travails are flooded on her social media pages.
"If a woman like me- a homemaker, a wife and a mother of five- can realise my dreams, any ordinary woman in Kerala can chase her dreams confidently," she said.
She also hoped that her journey would serve as an inspiration for other women to pursue their dreams.
(With inputs from PTI)