After making headlines last year for driving 23,800 km from Delhi to London in 97 days with her two friends, Nidhi Tiwari is back with some more news on another jaw-dropping expedition. The 36-year-old became the first Indian to drive to the coldest permanently inhabited place on earth — Oymyakon in Siberia, also known as the Pole of Cold. She completed a 5,000 km solo road trip through Siberia in the freezing winter. “This was a natural progression to many years of expedition — within and outside India. Being an extreme terrain driver, there were a couple of routes in the world that were on my wish-list. This was one of them — by far the most extreme I have undertaken in my life. It was an extreme overland solo on what’s probably the most dangerous road in the world — from Yakutsk to Magadan in north eastern Siberia via the Pole of Cold at Oymyakon, and that too in the peak of winter. I couldn’t have set myself up for anything more challenging than this,” admits Nidhi Tiwari, who drove a Toyota land Cruiser Prado for 5,080 km over 13 days. She adds, “I drove about 12-13 hours on an average every day, in temperatures averaging -50°C and the lowest being -59°C.”
Nidhi Tiwari is an extreme Overland driver and has founded an organisation. Women Beyond Boundaries, to encourage many others to equip themselves to undertake journeys of choice to far off lands and difficult-to-reach areas. Talking about weird moments on an expedition, she says, “I struggled with food. Not to be disrespectful, but I guess we just have a very different palate. So when I was offered raw horse meat or raw fish, I almost died. I just couldn’t handle it. People in that area eat a lot of raw and frozen meat. And even if cooked, it was not to our palate, of course. Cooked very minimally, it was a challenge. When your meal alternates between beef, caribou, horse meat and fish, it’s a challenge.” How did it feel to be the first Indian to drive to the coldest inhabited place on the planet in a Toyota Land Cruiser? She says, “These things don’t sink in immediately. I think it’s a triumph of the human spirit. I see it as an ordinary person, who dreamt, prepared, dared and made it happen. I hope this journey inspires thousands more to embark on journeys of their choice. Because this should tell you that it’s all doable and achievable. It’s a matter of dreaming and working towards it.”
But there were challenges too. “On this expedition, the weather was the biggest challenge. It was way too cold. A maximum of 10 minutes exposure to the cold at a stretch is all that one can experience. I had to deal with it,” says Nidhi. Nidhi, who has always been adventurous since childhood, says she likes putting herself outside her comfort zone. “Earlier the medium was outdoors and adventure, and now it’s driving,” says Nidhi, whose idea of an ultimate adventure consists of a tough road on diverse terrain, a strong and reliable mate (vehicle), and thousands of miles to cover. “It would definitely be to some remote corner, least accessible corner of the world,” she says.
Talking about one single moment that stands out, she says, “There are many moments that stand out. I think it was standing against the Pole of Cold monument at Oymyakon — I froze in the head. I couldn’t believe I had made it. When I had first started talking about this journey, 90 per cent of those who heard of my ambition rubbished it as irresponsible and undoable. The rest weren’t as discouraging, but were non-committal. I had to plough my way through all that. So, when I finally got there, all those conversations kept replaying in my mind. It was deeply emotional and I was tearing up, and somewhere that moment has made me stronger. I will look back at this for years to come,” says Nidhi, who takes inspiration from many people across all walks of life taking on adventure across the globe.
“I like the people in Sakha. They have inspired me in more ways than one. They are by far the most resilient people I have met. I draw inspiration from real people, real situations and real experiences,” she says. Talking about where she would go back and watch the sunset again, she says without hesitation, “It would be the northern Himalayas, I love the terrain. Then Spiti Valley in India and the mountain areas in Kyrgyzstan, the old Kolyma Road in Siberia... these are some of the prettiest places I have seen,” adding, “For people like me, who are explorers and are willing to put life on the line in order to achieve and inspire, funding is often a huge challenge. For most parts, these expeditions get dismissed at the planning stage as trips for self-gratification, which they clearly aren’t. Once it’s completed, you realise how inspirational and powerful it has been for a large audience out there. And its inspiration from events, people, places, situations that drives us to achieve the extraordinary. So, I think these can’t be ignored or dismissed. There should be a way to support such initiatives. That’s something we must work towards.”
