UAE: Three hijabi expat women, including two grandmums, make incredible 5,000km road trip across India

After travelling across India in 30 days, three expatriate women from the UAE have returned with memories to last a lifetime. Dubai resident Dr Sumera Syed and her aunt Lathifa Banu joined their friend, Rejila Hassan, in India to embark on an incredible journey that spanned nine states and three Union territories.

The three women, of which two are grandmothers, completed the journey from Kerala to Kashmir to Leh on their Toyota SUV vehicle in 30 days. Ajman-based dentist Dr Sumera said they were able to witness incredible sights, including the Khardungla Pass - the highest motorable pass in the world and overcome deep-rooted fears.

“We had a lot of misconceptions and fears about the journey across India. We were apprehensive for our safety as hijabi women due to reports of intolerance,” said Dr Sumera.

“We were worried whether we would be discriminated against or mistreated. However, throughout the trip, we got nothing but love and friendship. There are many women who we met and became friends with during the journey.”

How was the trip planned?

Dr Sumera, Lathifa and Rejila Hassan started talking about the trip across India early this year. Despite having dreamt of a journey across North India for many years with their families, it wasn’t until Lathifa connected with her former classmate Rejila that the idea began to take shape.

“When my aunt discussed this idea of driving to Kashmir, I was dismissive because neither of us had ever driven in India,” said Dr Sumera.

“The thought of driving in India gave me anxiety.”

That didn’t stop them from forming a WhatsApp group in early February to discuss possible routes and journey options. The entire trip would take around 45 days. A mother to two, Dr Sumera was still sceptical. However, when a medical emergency forced her to accompany her college-going son to physiotherapy in Kerala, she took the chance to brush up on her driving skills. “This was a big boost of confidence for us,” she said.

“At least, we would be two drivers.”

By early June, Lathifa Banu was determined to ensure that the trip went ahead and booked the tickets. She only got 30 days of annual leave, so the trio had to modify their journey to fit that time. “Although she is my aunt, she is only 10 years older than me,” said Dr Sumera.

“We have been close to each other throughout our lives and had an excellent rapport with Rejila. I realised I would never get such a good chance to travel again.”

Setting off on the journey

On June 20, Lathifa and Dr Sumera took a night flight to Calicut, where Rejila stays. The next day, the trio set off. A relative had designed a logo and a banner for them that they stuck on their car. “To be honest, I was worried that we would be attracting too much attention to ourselves with the banner,” said Dr Sumera.

“However, it was a big icebreaker. At checkpoints, police officers would chat about the trip and encourage us not to quit. They would let us cut queues and be on our way so as not to delay our trip.”

“On the first day, our target destination was Udupi,” said Lathifa.

“We were unsure whether we would get there, so we didn’t book accommodation. Our families had given us strict orders not to travel after 7pm. So we thought we would stay wherever we were.”

The women were pleasantly surprised when they reached Udupi on time. “That is the first time we got some confidence that we may be able to pull this off,” said Dr Sumera.