 She is a fantastic actor. She has a degree in mathematics and she is an ex-Miss India. She is tech-savvy and an avid reader. But there is so much more to Gul Panag then that .Like did you know Gul is just two flights away from acquiring a Solo License for Paragliding? Read on to discover more about this well-informed, avid traveller. Aditi (SuperHypersonic) met Gul Panag in Mumbai and the two talked about travelling and more in this hour long discussion.
Aditi : You have done a lot of diverse roles, how do you make the choice? Gul : Well to some extent its about what you want to do and then once you carve the certain identity for yourself everything falls into place.
Aditi: From the roles you have essayed so far, which is your favourite character? Gul:Nandini in Fatso [by Rajat Kapoor]She is the central character around whom the entire story revolves.That has been a very interesting experience.
Aditi:Lets talk about your online presence, popularity and your views on it. Gul:To me it is about connecting to people who are like minded and share views and not about
star-following. For me Twitter is not a publicity tool. It’s more a platform to discuss issues I believe in strongly, current events etc. And for me they are not fans, but people whose opinion is very valuable to me as I probably attract a certain kind of individual, so for me it is a community not of followers but of people who share ideas.
Aditi: So it’s like a way to directly speak your mind without any miscommunication? Gul: Yes, see what happens is more often than not people do not expect us to have any views outside of the film industry. The journalists who talk to us for film interviews have no interest in anything else. Their life revolves around film journalism and besides usually they don’t care. So even if you do talk about global issues which are not relevant to films the interview won’t carry it. And the mainstream journalists don’t consider you relevant and won’t talk to you. So one can’t keep waiting for that one journalist who would realize that Gul has a brain and would talk to me then! So online access gives me an opportunity to express myself the way I want to.
Aditi: Let’s start with question related to travelling as we are a travel portal afterall! You are known to be an avid traveler , so what is your approach to traveling? Gul: I love traveling. But my interests are different so I end up doing different things. For instance most people would take cable cars to reach a place while I would prefer to walk it up, I have outdoor interests.
Aditi: How do you make use of time when you r travelling for work? Gul: I always go in a day early and stay back a day extra for short trips. If it’s bigger than its a different plan. For example Crooked [upcoming project] is going to be shot in Greece so besides the number of days that I’m required, I am going to make complete use of the time to get a feel of the local area, the sea etc. And besides, it is always in my control to plan my schedule to be able to sightsee, to have a few extra days. I have never been to a country and just gone there and come back, I always take time out and check the place out. I love experiencing the local places, walking around etc.
Aditi: How about eating the local food? Gul :That is one area where I am not very adventurous. I had some not so pleasant experiences while trying the strange street food, so am not so keen on checking the local cuisine which I know is bad, but that’s how it is.
Aditi: When you travel abroad do you often hear of India with reference to Bollywood? Gul :Yeah unfortunately it begins there, you know the song and dance routine, and of course there is the tikka and the curry. But usually I tend to not meet many Indians on my travels , as usually I tend to do a lot more outdoor/offbeat trips. Usually I bump into Indians at airports!
Aditi: At Duniya Gol Hai our goal is to create a combination on information about traveling and eco-friendly traveling. Do you think there is enough awareness about eco-tourism? Gul: For me eco-tourism is where I’m just one with the nature. I think with reference to our country, I’ll say we are not a nation of outdoor people, people with outdoor interests. Why I’m saying this is because eco-tourism and outdoors are linked. I went to a trek in Roopkund and till the area where the locals could come and picnic, you could see plastic, trash discarded at will. It was only in the trek route beyond the parking that you see the actual wilderness. So it is quite plain to see that people who didn’t visit the place to trek (outdoor) didn’t even consider the idea of eco-friendliness. As a nation we've only now come to the stage where we can think beyond survival. Bulk of our country is still struggling .For most people, I doubt travel is on their agenda. But I think the way middle class has grown in the last decade, people have food, clothing and shelter, and it’s those people who can think of traveling. And please bear with me here, primary entertainment for people is cinema, etc. secondary is travel. Growing up, my classmates could identify just visiting grandparents as the idea of travel! So you know travel is not really a part of our culture. So it’s now probably that travel market is taking shape. And because it is still growing, we are still very far from the stage where outdoors will be an intrinsic part of our travel itinerary. And outdoors and eco-tourism are inter-linked. So, unless people are willing to go out, trek etc they are not going to understand the relevance of not littering, respecting the ecology etc. Further we don’t promote outdoors like skiing, trekking, camping, enough in our country and these things go hand in hand with eco-tourism. So most people are not even concerned about the word ECO forget tourism! That’s my personal view. Aditi: Speaking of ecology, Climate summit had recently flagged off at Copenhagen, the world leaders will discuss what they must but in your opinion what can be done on an individual level to promote responsible travelling & preserving ecology? Gul: Definitely not littering, that’s the most basic but imp step. Second would be to not use plastic. Carry a cloth bag with you. And if you are making any purchases, don’t accept any kind of plastic along with it. Carry your trash back with you to dispose correctly. Also be careful to not light a fire where there is a possibility of a forest fire etc.
Aditi: How often do you take holidays? Gul: I take three dedicated holidays in a year. My last trip was to Masai Mara. I was in Singapore earlier this year, for about five days and did a lot of walking around the city. Then I was in Rishikesh , did rafting. And I'm heading for a nature-trip in December. My life is incomplete without travelling. I feel suffocated, claustrophobic if I do not travel. And I just love airports. Just to sit there and watch people. And I'm so excited when I reach the airport that I feel a flutter in my stomach every time that I am going some place new.
Aditi : You also like adventure sports, tell us more about that. Gul : I'm very fond of adventure sports. I am two flights short of a solo license of paragliding. Hopefully I’ll get it in this break. I have also done some basic courses in rock climbing. I love river rafting, bungee jumping etc. So, yes! I do love adventure sports.
Aditi: What do you think is a must carry while travelling ? Gul:I think a great investment is pashmina, which you can just fold , which doesn’t occupy space and comes in handy during weather changes.
Quick questions:
Aditi :Favorite destinations in India and world? Gul: In India : Jim Corbett,Ladakh,Bandipur,Shillong ,Gangtok World: S.America, where I’ve not been but am very keen to visit Brazil, Columbia. And I would love to go to S.Korea sometime in the future
Aditi: Gadgets that you use while travelling. Gul : In India GPS.And I always check the weather before I travel.
Aditi: Favourite week-end getaway? Gul: Amsterdam! I think it’s a great week-end city.
Aditi: Upcoming Projects: Gul : Crooked starting in jan [co-starring Abhishek,Boman Irani,Jimmy Shergil ] find more details on www.gulpanag.net
Aditi: And finally ,what is your message to members and followers of Duniya Gol Hai ? Gul: I think travel doesn’t mean a lot of expenditure which is a mistake most people make of assuming. You can travel and not have to spend a lot. Travel does broaden your horizons. If you are not going to go out and mix with the local people and have the local food [though this (food) I don’t practise ;) ] then you might as well not go out at all!
*Exceprts from an hour long casual conversation/interview/chit-chat with Aditi [SuperHypersonic]
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then it is so cold ! but a really cool place for a great w.end 
Love,
Nidhi