Fifa World Cup: Driving solo from India, mum-of-five arrives in Dubai en route to Qatar

An Indian mother-of-five who is on an epic solo trip from India to Qatar to watch the Fifa World Cup has arrived in the UAE. Naaji Noushi, who set out from the southern Indian state of Kerala, on October 15, arrived in the UAE from Oman via the Hatta border on Wednesday evening.

One of her first stops was in front of the world’s tallest tower to click a photo. “It was one of the things on my bucket list when I set out on this journey – to take a photo in front of the Burj Khalifa,” she said.

“I am glad to have achieved it.”

However, Naaji’s trip has been far from easy. “Shipping my vehicle from Mumbai to Oman was the biggest challenge I faced in my journey so far ,” she said, when Khaleej Times caught up with her in Dubai over a plate of biryani and lemon juice.

“I was told by several shipping companies that I would not be able to transport the vehicle. I went to the Oman Consulate in India and met the Consul General. He was very impressed with my trip and helped me get the papers sorted. My car is one of the first Indian-registered right-hand vehicles to be shipped into Oman.”

After arriving in Oman by plane, Naaji dressed up in a Spiderman suit and rushed home to surprise her children. Armed with a cake, she went to see her little ones ranging in ages from 2 to 14, whom she hadn’t seen in over two months.

Support from people

Naaji credits the people around her for their immense support to help realise this trip of hers. “Obviously, if not for the support of my mum and my husband Naushad, none of this would be possible,” she said.

Apart from her family, Naaji has found support from unexpected quarters at every step. While chatting with KT in front of the Museum of Future, a Pakistani man stopped by to say hello and take a photo with her.

“I read about her trip on the news and saw her videos on social media,” he said.

“I really admire her for what she is doing. I am also going to Qatar to see the games but I am going by plane. It seems very boring compared to the adventure Naji is having.

“From the time I started looking for sponsorships till now, some people have been extremely kind,” she said.

“The agents at Mahindra Thar went the extra mile to make sure my car was in perfect condition for the journey. However, I got the vehicle only a day before my departure. The 'sticker' guys worked on my car with barely any sleep to make sure that it was ready on time.”

However, Naaji admitted that she had faced trouble getting sponsorship and money for her trip because of her gender. “Some people even told me that they had sponsored male vloggers but were hesitant to spend on me because I am a woman,” she said.

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