Maheen is the Keralite vlogger who reported the Sudan clashes for CNN and other global and Indian channels 20 days ago. Maheen had gone to Sudan as a hitchhiking nomad, something he has been doing for the last five years
By Rejimon Kuttappan
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Maheen S, a 22-year-old Keralite from Nedumangad, a tiny village in the valley of Western Ghats in South Kerala, was the first Indian tourist in Afghanistan in July 2022 after the Taliban takeover.
In July, when we read and watched in the media about his amazing experiences of being the first Indian tourist in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, the other side of the story was frightening.
Maheen was smacked in the face for filming locals, blindfolded, taken down the street by Taliban gunmen, beaten, imprisoned, and finally released when they found he was not an ISIS fighter.
Meantime, he’d been to Kabul, Kandahar, and villages. Before he left, Taliban officials became friendly with him, gifted him a gun, fed him, sheltered him, and yes, they posed for pictures too.
“2022 Eid Al-Adha was with Taliban,” he told The News Porter from Ethiopia over the phone recently.
Maheen is the Keralite vlogger who reported the Sudan clashes for CNN, and other global and Indian channels last month. He had gone to Sudan as a hitchhiking nomad, something he has been doing for the last five years.
Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq
Maheen had entered Afghanistan from Tajikistan. From Afghanistan, he moved to Iran, and then to Iraq, where he got arrested in Basra, a southern Iraqi town, while on his way to Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.
“I was arrested and imprisoned in Basra due to visa issues,” he said. “There were 30 convicts in a small chamber. I had to sleep near the loo because I was the last to arrive. I had to be there for five days. They let me go only after they were convinced of my innocence,” Maheen further told The News Porter.
Following his release, Maheen moved to Jordan, then to Qatar, and visited Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.
From Saudi Arabia, he crossed to Egypt, and from there to Sudan. “I didn’t expect a war in Sudan. I arrived on April 13, travelled through villages, tasted Sudanese food, and enjoyed local Sudanese hospitality. I even found a local gold factory,” Maheen revealed.
Sudan recorded the highest gold production in 2022. The 18 tons and 637 kg of gold produced in 2022 originated from the production of the organised sector of concession companies and companies dealing with traditional mining waste. It is estimated that more than 50% of Sudan’s gold is smuggled out of the country, with proceeds frequently used to finance the internal conflict.
https://www.africanews.com/2023/01/04/sudan-recorded-highest-gold-production-in-2022//
There are also reports that Russia, which supports one of the fighting groups in Sudan, is smuggling out of Sudan.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/29/africa/sudan-russia-gold-investigation-cmd-intl/index.html
“Finally, a day after I reached Khartoum, the war broke out,” rued Maheen.
“Early morning when I was asleep, I heard a tremendous sound. I thought it was thunder. But later on, I found no, it was an explosion.”
According to Maheen, those sounds never stopped thereafter.
“Then what I was hearing was the roaring sound of jets flying low, gunshots, screams and all…I could see people fleeing when I peeped out of the window,” Maheen added.
“On the first day, I was scared. Later on, I somehow got out of the building. I stayed in and walked on the road. I became friends with both the Sudanese Army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the rival group. I even travelled in the rival group’s armored vehicles,” he said.
Sudan Conflict
Following the coup in 2021 in Sudan, the African country is ruled by a Council of Generals.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59035053
The council is led by Burhan and Dagalo. The Council of Generals was tasked with laying the groundwork for a democratic administration. Talks were held in December 2022, which didn’t turn out fruitful. Additionally, the confusion continued about how RSF, formed by former president Omar Al Bashir, will be integrated into the SAF and who would be the boss.
Finally, the failure of talks resulted in a Burhan-Dagalo men’s face-off on the streets of Khartoum. The war hasn’t ended yet.
School Teacher
When asked why he takes risky routes, he replied, “I love adventure and want to experience new things.”
“I wish to be arrested and jailed in an unknown land…I consider them all to be experiences…,” he added.
“A few months ago, when I went home, I met my Class IV teacher. She recalled what I had told her then – ‘When I grow up, I want to be a traveller,’” Maheen said.
According to Maheen, his parents and one elder sister were worried about his “irresponsible and risky” nature. But now, as they see him getting featured in different magazines and channels, they feel proud of him.
“For four days, they won’t care about me. But on the fifth and sixth day, they will try to reach out to me. They have allowed me to follow my passion. That is a blessing,” said Maheen, who is a B.Tech and Business Administration dropout.
With 513 videos, Maheen has 644K subscribers, which brings in money for his travels.
“I don’t need much money. I can eat any food and sleep anywhere. I even have a tent and a cooking stove in my backpack. So far, I have visited 16 countries during the last three years. I have to travel more,” he said.
“In Sudan, I travelled in an RSF vehicle. I had food with them. Nobody will arrest a nomad. People may call me a mad traveler but I am not bothered about it. It is their perception. In my travels, I have seen many hitchhiking nomads like me. In many places, people welcome me. They are friendly. They love to host me. They admire my passion. So, why should I be worried?” he asked.
It was about five years ago that Maheen started travelling.
“I have done many startups business, like selling apparel and all. From that money, I travel. And one day, if YouTube goes down, I am least bothered. I will do some business, raise money and continue my travel,” he said.
“So, even if there is no social media, I will continue to travel,” he made clear.
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