Versatile personality and a
great Mahindra fan, Gul Panag, recently went on a challenging, women-only expedition, with her friend Swaty, from
Manali to Leh in her customised Mahindra Scorpio Getaway, covering 2257 kms in
13 days. The adventures and fun experiences of this journey were captured in a
3-part series ‘Off Road with Gul Panag: Ladakh’ which will air on the Discovery
Channel, starting March 27, 2015 at 8pm.
Everybody knows Gul Panag. She
is an activist, actor, aviator, animal lover, adrenaline junkie, adventurer,
avid traveller, automobile and fitness enthusiast, biker, entrepreneur,
student, writer, et al. Panag said, “Wanting some time away from the hustle and
bustle of daily city life, my friend Swaty and I took this road trip to Ladakh
- a place that has everything an adventure-seeker looks for - clean air, scenic
beauty and lots of adventure. The journey was fraught with plummeting
temperatures, treacherous terrains and utter isolation. But the fully-equipped,
custom-fitted Mahindra Scorpio Getaway proved to be a tough and rugged,
dependable companion and took all these challenges in its stride.”
According to Vivek Nayer,
Chief Marketing Officer, Automotive Division, M&M Ltd, “Our tough and
rugged SUVs are great enablers of an outdoors lifestyle involving long road
trips, and off-roading adventures. That is exactly the premise of our
association with Discovery Channel and Gul for the upcoming 3-part adventure
series ‘Off Road with Gul Panag: Ladakh’.”
Nayer further added, “Gul
clearly symbolises the take-on-anything spirit of our SUVs. Hence we decided to
partner Gul’s mission to tame the tough terrains of Ladakh with our
custom-fitted Mahindra Scorpio Getaway. Discovery Channel was a natural partner
given its programming repertoire, the credibility it enjoys in this genre and
connect that it has with Indian viewers.”
Presenting the series, Arun
Thapar, Vice President – Programming (South Asia), Discovery Networks
Asia-Pacific said, “At Discovery, it has always been our endeavour to offer
differentiated and high quality content to our viewers. ‘Off Road with Gul
Panag: Ladakh’ is a travel-cum-adventure series that highlights a journey to
drive through one of the most extreme places in the world. The journey also
captures the beautiful and rugged terrains of Ladakh, its peculiar fauna and
flora and scenic splendour as a mountain desert. We take pride in our partnership with
Mahindra & Mahindra and Gul Panag to make this journey an
adrenaline-infused experience for our viewers.”
‘Off Road with Gul Panag:
Ladakh’ will be simulcast on Discovery Tamil every Friday at 8 pm, starting
March 27th and will have repeat airings every Saturday at 8 pm. The series will later air on TLC and
Discovery Turbo in end-April and May respectively.
Gul custom-fitted her Mahindra
Scorpio Getaway and geared it up to meet the demands of the journey. Her
customised Mahindra Scorpio Getaway boasts of specialised enhancements such as
a heavy duty winch, high lift jack, snorkel, metal off road bumpers, additional
lights, suspension lift, premium traction tyres and steel wheels, mechanical
locking differential, roof top tent with side awning, 40 litre auxiliary fuel
tank, 100 litre stainless steel water tank, cargo bay roll cage, specialised
rooftop carrier, diesel tuning box, dual battery management system a C.B. radio and a roof mounted revolving
search light to make it more sturdy and self-sufficient for going off-road and
for setting up camp in isolated locations. The vehicle also carries a portable
gas burner and an oxygen cylinder to combat High Altitude Sickness.