Crazy Feet On Wheels

Crazy Feet On Wheels

Crazy Feet Kavya aka Kavya Saxena is on a journey to explore rural India on an overland trip and bring it closer to people through an eclectic potpourri of arts, crafts and culture. In October last year, she took off on a journey in a Mahindra 4×4 that will take her over six states in six months. She hails from Bikaner in Rajasthan and is enchanted by the beauty and charming simplicity of rural India. With an MBA in Industrial Relations and HR and a license to race in motorsports, her journey has been as adventurous as one might imagine. My City Links caught up with her over a tête-à-tête when she was in Bhubaneswar recently. Excerpts:

Please explain your handle name ‘Crazy Feet Kavya’.

The name was suggested by one of my friends during the initial days of Instagram. Since then it has stuck with me. There is no logic behind it. I used to travel all the time with my father as he has the habit of moving around. So my mom used to say that my feet have wheels. So now when I look back after all the travelling I have done, it feels like the dots are connecting. I guess I have crazy feet that do not sit ideal.

You have been travelling since when?

These six months to six states — ‘Kavya On Quest’ — is not the first time that I am travelling. For the past 13 years, I have been working in the corporate world. However, I would travel every weekend. Whether it’s Holi, Diwali or New Year, you will never find me in the city either at home or with friends. I would always travel to some nearby village and explore and experience everything there. I started travelling solo in 2010. For 10 years now, I have been traveling every weekend.

Ever since I can remember, I have this love for rural India. The raw beauty and simplicity always enchanted me. I have always wondered about different villages in different districts and states of India. I can’t exactly remember how it all started. Initially, I didn’t document much and those were the early days of Instagram.

What do you do apart from travelling?

I worked for almost 10 years for Indian Oil. Then I was the brand head of the Canvas Laugh Club after which I was the brand head at the Tree Of Life Resorts and Hotels. Then I joined Vajor as the brand head from which I decided to take a break in September 2020 to travel for the next six months.

When did you start full time travelling?

I have done long travels before, like spending a month with Komodo Dragons in Indonesia and others, but at that time I continued to work. However, this is my longest continuous solo travelling without working. This time, all I am doing is documenting my journey and the various crafts that I have come across.

What is it about travelling that attracts you?

I feel that when we travel, it is more about the journey inside than it is about outside. Travel changes something within you. You become humble, happy and feel at peace. In long term travel, you need to adjust quickly because everything around you changes very fast. The excitement of expecting something new everywhere you go brings out a positive change within you and makes you feel alive. I guess that is what attracts me to travelling. It keeps me grounded.

Tell us something about your motorsports experience and how it has helped you?

A friend of mine introduced me to motorsports in 2013. The first time was during a rally in Rajasthan. Over the next few years whenever I raced in India, I ended up on the podium. When you race at full throttle, you don’t think about what is happening around you and just focus on driving. This has helped me in bringing clarity in my decision making. I am very clear about what I want to do and how.

The other thing motorsports has helped me with is handling a car. Being a solo girl traveler, if you can handle a car very well then it gives you an added advantage. Rural India is not that easily accessible. No matter how much I praise the beauty and simplicity of villages, the fact is that even today there is not much public transport available to take you to the deepest of places. Only a car can do that and if you know your car well then you are always at an advantage. So motorsports has not just taught me how to drive, but also how to manage a car which is more important than driving.

What is the 180 days of solo overland trip about?

This thought came to me during the lockdown. Everyone discovered a new slower life during that time. Even I started wondering about why am I running after an urban life; trying to have a good salary, spending it and travelling on weekends to fulfill a passion.

I thought if all this is for my passion, then I should dedicate more time to it which will make it more meaningful. So I pondered over what should be the dedicated amount of time for travel. Finally, I decided to travel for crafts for six months and cover six states as extensively as possible. I decided to drive in my own car before Mahindra came into the picture.

In October, I travelled through West Bengal where I visited every single district. Then I visited Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland where I spent two months. In January I came to Odisha. Here I have covered Balasore, Baripada, Dhenkanal, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and am planning to visit Puri, Ganjam and Gajapati. I am keen on exploring the western part of Odisha.

What is ‘Kavya On Quest’ about?

This is a quest to uncover rural India. Everyone on Instagram suggested me to visit Raghurajpur to explore rural and remote Odisha which it is not. When I venture into the innermost parts of the country, people often ask how I reached there which is very funny. People think you need a guide, you need roads and what not to go to places. All you have to do is ask the people around and go where you want to visit. So the quest is to bring rural India closer to people and to make people understand that it is absolutely accessible. All the new-age Instagram travelers are looking for beautiful hills and beaches which are great, but I would ask them to explore the beauty of rural India which is absolutely social media worthy.

What was the impact of COVID-19 on your travel?

Initially people were a bit skeptical about my plans. Both Mahindra and I tried to be very responsible. Every time I crossed a state border, I got myself tested for COVID-19. I visited such micro interior places which are untouched by the modern world that I felt safe. The people in these places live clean and eat clean and along with them I got to experience this natural lifestyle. India exists in the rural parts. Life in these places goes on at its own pace whether there is COVID or no COVID.

When I entered the island of Majuli, they needed a mandatory check and also in the north-east. The people of the villages never caused any inconvenience because of the fact that I came from a big city that was crushed by the coronavirus.

How was your experience with the filigree artisans of Cuttack?

Before coming here, I contacted a friend who guided me to an artisan. I went to check out their work and I realised that it is a very minute and detailed craft. This is a very beautiful but dying craft. More and more local people should come forward and patronise the craft and prevent it from dying. Because of its lack of demand, modern intervention never happened to this amazing craft. I bought a beautiful piece for myself. The artisans are moving into other fields of work and abandoning this beautiful heritage of Cuttack. I would encourage more people from Odisha and all over India to come and encourage this craft.

What is ‘Handmade India?’

I decided to make crafts the voice of India through a series of Instagram reels. My reels don’t have beautiful hills of Kashmir or beaches of Gokarna, but you will see weathered hands of artisans. In every village there are artisans working on something or the other. The work done in each and every village is not always famous. Maybe some are making brooms or plates, but they all invest so much into making these amazing products.

That is why I call it ‘Handmade India’ because I feel India is purely handmade. I plan to cover one craft in each reel. Maybe in the future I will make a resource book. There are lots of books written about crafts in pockets, but I don’t think there is a comprehensive resource material available which contains information like where exactly to find a particular craft or which artisan makes it. I want to answer the question “where do we go in the village?” So I want to make it more comprehensive so that people can explore the villages of India and help in keeping the crafts alive.

What has been your most memorable experience so far on the trip?

Every day on the road has been memorable and I don’t want to forget any single experience. In Odisha, I had one of the most memorable experiences in Dhenkanal. It was Sankranti and I was in the palace. Someone said that all the staff will take leave and visit their villages in the evening. Most of the staffers belong to the Santhal tribe. I asked one of them to take me to their village because I wanted to see some celebrations and festivities. In the afternoon we took a bike ride and visited a village. As the dirt road ended, I saw all the people of the community with bows and arrows and dancing and drinking handia. They were playing some traditional games and having an epic time. That moment was very special because I was not expecting it and it was not in my plan.

What has been your Odia food experience like?

So far, I have had Odia food in bits and pieces. I am yet to taste a whole meal. I have been fortunate to taste food from Mayurbhanj and Baripada. I had a lot of food in Dhenkanal. Out of everything I had, my favourite has been chenna poda. I had a 1 kg cake of chenna poda all by myself. I am obsessed with it. I love sweets but chenna poda took me to another level. It is one of the finest things I have tasted so far.

What is your take on documenting culture for the internet?

When I was in Arunachal, I figured out there is very little documentation of the cultural heritage. Similarly there are numerous places around the country where we are losing our heritage because of lack of documentation. Thankfully the current generation has constant access to the internet and I have the utmost respect for everyone who is creating content in whatever format.

What do you think about girls being able to travel solo these days?

I would like to tell every girl who wishes to travel that if you are travelling solo and visiting places in rural India, you will be accepted and welcomed very seriously. People understand the fact that you have travelled alone so far and they are ready to offer any help they can. They will show you around and treat you with respect. So, I feel girls should travel more and explore more because India is so big and it needs to be explored.

What next?

I had planned to visit Rajasthan after Odisha, but now I have decided to spend the next month in Chhattisgarh.