Niharika Anand talks to Sangeeta Yadav about her life-changing experience at new Bindaas show Beg Borrow Steal where she left no stone unturned to take up challenging tasks to complete her journey
Imagine a life where you have been brought up amid utmost luxury and comfort. Wearing branded clothes, eating in swank restaurants and spending thousands of rupees daily without giving a second thought was something that came easily to Niharika Anand who hails from Delhi.
But all this changed when she signed Bindaas’ new show Beg Borrow Steal-Riches to Rags which airs every Saturday at 6 pm. All of a sudden, she found herself with just a backpack. No money, no gadgets and no car! All this while one had to travel all alone and face hardships and life’s realities.
“The journey was a rollarcoaster ride. It started from my home in Delhi a few months back and took me to Dharamsala. When I took up this journey, I didn’t know it was going to be so tough. People around me said that I would not be able to do this. I took up the challenge. I wanted to prove not only to everyone around me but myself as well that I could do it. Initially, my body was unable to cope with the stress and I fell ill. But I knew this was just the beginning, tougher days were ahead so I rallied around,” Anand says, adding that the other reason she took up this show was to have a learning experience that she hadn’t had before.
Anand was the first runner-up of Miss North India 2014 and Clarions Miss Indian Diva 2015. She was also in the top 20 of Femina Miss India, 2016.
“From makinglassi the traditional way, to grinding wheat and making chapattis, to stealing a cycle and picking up cow dung and randomly asking people for food, water, lift etc, I’ve done it all. With limited resources, the tasks were exhaustive mentally and physically. I spoke to a lot of farmers and learnt how tough their life is,” Anand tells you.
Things became tougher when she got injured. “I took a lift on a bike in Punjab and when I was getting off, my ankle rubbed against the silencer and got burnt. At that time, I didn’t realise what had happened to me but the next day I saw a big burn. I had to find a clinic and request the doctor to treat me for free. The worst was the hockey task. I was wearing safety pads and the wound which I covered all the time, festered. The skin peeled and I had to go to the clinic where the doctor scraped the dead skin which was very painful. I couldn’t let him finish the treatment. On top of this, the crew wanted me to hurry up and reach the next location. That broke me,” she recalls.
It was times like this that she wanted to give up. “Once I forgot the name of the location I had to reach. I had no clue whether it was a hotel, dhaba or a stable. I was given wrong directions by people because so I reached the location late. The crew and the host were really annoyed. I felt that they were being unreasonable. I felt unappreciated for all the efforts I had put in. I was asked to give up just because I couldn’t remember the location and had reached late. I was given Rs100 for emergency out of which Rs50 was taken away. The burnt ankle just added to the misery. I really wanted some space which I didn’t get,” she tells you.
Of course, she finished her journey but it made her a different person and gave her many life lessons. “To survive the show was the most challenging part. I have am stronger today. When I look back, I am amazed that I finished this ride. I am very finicky and think of hygiene all the time. But now these things don’t matter any more. This show has changed my perspective about life and people. I value small things more today. I am glad I took up this challenge,” Anand says.
At the end of the journey, the host made her sell all the things and took away her belongings. “They made me sell everything that I was carrying. I was left with Rs50 which I gave to a rickshaw-wallah. He was wearing torn pants and his chappals were broken. Yet he was happy in whatever he had. He told me that he looked at things positively. His story touched my heart. I got to keep my T-shirt which was signed by people I met on my journey. I am going to treasure it forever,” Anand tells you.