SHIKHA DUGGAL
Bloody Daddy fame Aparna Nayr’s outing to Doha made up for luxury and adventure both — she had a millennia of middle eastern culture in the Arabian gulf, a trip she won’t forget soon. Interacting with us for our travel tales segment, she reveals everything about the headline-stealing neighbour country of ours!
“I was missing Doha, changed and developed so much. Be it the architecture, its historical monuments, souq or the deserts: I was delighted to be back. You will always find activities to catch your interest there. From the dessert to the seashore, the sun’s always shining there!”
Telling all about its majesty, she says, “The city is indeed exquisite. How can you feel it to be true? The kind of effort invested in building the architecture is phenomenal. This time, I was the most excited to see the glimpses of the most-talked about world cup stadium on the road trip! I caught a few glimpses, and witnessed the blend of middle eastern culture and a European design in it.”
Giving the game away on culturally rich experiences, she tells, “I paid a call on Souq Waqif during the peak hours — what a place! There’s a bird market there, seperate shops for spices and lanterns! Moving a little further, mosques will appear. Beside that, there is a store that created that bisht for Lionel Messi , the one he wore after his FIFA win. Then the purple islands were something to see! There is a heritage village in Katara , we were shooting a campaign there. It was like watching the melting pot of cultures coming together for me, museums and public art!”
Letting the cat out of the bag on hotel hues, she described, “I was hosted by International Doha- The City. So modern and stylish! It’s one of the tallest buildings at the West Bay. I was living in the heart of Doha, literally.” Hoping to go see Turkey next, for all that she had a scary experience during her childhood trip. She shared, “My family took me to Masai Mara when I was a child. I was completely surrounded by wildlife. The man-eaters startled me to death, especially the bisons! As a six-year-old girl, who didn’t know what bisons are—I was feeling alarmed.”
Blabbing more about this liberating experience, she says, “It was more of a work-trip — but not feeling apologetic about spending the greatest time in the city because the kind of potent mix of traditionalism that I saw this time was the best. I am used to their culture because I have lived in the middle east already, frequently keep visiting. Nothing was unusual or jarring to me!”
