Walking across India as a Woman – Moving Upstream

Nupur Agarwal

This is a guest blog by Nupur Agarwal. She had joined our Moving Upstream project and walked with us for almost 400 kms from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh to Gangotri, Uttarakhand along the Ganga as we documented the river.

This article was first published in Veditum and has been republished with permission. You can read the original here

In the ongoing movement for gender equality, we feel it is imperative that everyone contributes in creating a more open society with equal opportunities for all. We love Nupur for her courage to challenge the status quo and for breaking gender based barriers. This is her story:

I have learnt that it’s the first step that makes all the difference. Whatever may be your dream, you have to take the first leap and believe in yourself that you will deal with problems as and when they come. And if you ask me now, I’d probably say that a decision that looked so daunting then, was the best choice I ever made.

It’s been three years now, Siddharth had cycled all the way from Kolkata to Mumbai campaigning for a cause. After the Madness Project, he never looked back. He continued his walk towards change, and we as spectators, were left spellbound.

The fascination with Siddharth’s projects always lingered, but everyone including me had the doubt whether I was competent enough to do it. Moreover, being a woman, my enthusiasm to attempt such a journey was taken as a joke. I can now look back to see how social conditioning trickles into our thoughts subconsciously and materialises as self-doubt.

My mind was always occupied with the “what ifs”. ‘What if I am unable to walk the required distance in a day?’, ‘What if I have to come back mid-way?’, ‘What if I become a bother to everyone else?’, ‘What if I am unable to carry the weight of my bag?’, ‘What if my feet start paining?’, etc. etc.

But I decided to go anyway!

The villages that we passed through in the plains along the Ganga were unfrequented by outsiders. Spotting a group of young people walking with their rucksacks was itself a rare sight. Additionally, finding a woman in the group was something that made many cross-question us. We were often asked if I was related to the men or why was I as a woman even undertaking such a task.

Surprisingly, nobody asks this same question when a woman works in the fields for long hours. The problem it seems, is in how society has been conditioned, in our case due to the existence of strong patriarchal systems.

A woman from Bhotia tribe in Dunda, Uttarakhand, spinning yarn on Charkha//© Nupr Agarwal

As a general observation, men we came across during the walk were more inclined to talk to men from our group, and similarly women, especially younger women appeared to be more comfortable speaking with me.

I had my set of apprehensions regarding the Walk. ‘Where will I pee while we are walking?’ ‘What if I get my period during the journey?’ ‘How will I manage if there is no toilet at the place where we stay?’

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from this experience: in order to break ridiculous imaginary societal constraints, you have to be okay with a lot of things. You have to be okay with urinating behind the bushes, you have to be okay with using dirty toilets, you have to be okay with your menstruating body, you have to be okay with not taking a shower everyday, and ready to face every other impediment that comes your way.

The little I knew about Ganga was based on textbooks I had read as a child, a pilgrimage (char-dham yatra) I had been to with my parents, and it’s pious significance shown in Bollywood movies, most of which are shot in Varanasi, popular for its ghats and Hindu cremation sites.

A pitstop where we paused to record the flow of water at Muni Ki Reti in Uttarakhand/© Siddharth Agarwal

The Walk

It was the first time I got to experience this mighty river so closely without a pre-existing lens. As we walked keeping ourselves as close to the river as possible, my mind slowly opened up to its myriad dimensions which were complex, yet beautiful.

I started to see for myself how a river isn’t just a source of water but rather an entire ecosystem, one that is multi-faceted as well as fragile. I could better understand the interconnections that exist between environment, religion, human rights, cultures, politics…

The River People

Walking along a river, for long hours, under the sun, sometimes with no trees to give you shade (ironically), no hand-pumps to give you water while the river stank; can take a toll on your body and can become monotonous, pulling you back into your comfort zone.

What keeps you going is the curiosity to know more about lives of the people you encounter – pastoralists, farmers, fishermen, spiritual seekers, villagers, artisans, all kinds of people who seldom make the news.

Pastoralists we met on our way from Rampur Raighati to Haridwar in Uttarakhand/© Nupur Agarwal

People that you meet on your way, the brief interactions and their heart-filled stories. People who take you in at the end of the day and provide you shelter for the night & food prepared with love, even though they might not have enough.