Travel writing in Malayalam is greatly enriched by the chronicles of M K Ramachandran’s Himalayan sojourns. His accounts of the mystical mountains continue to enthrall readers and inspire countless others to set off on their own expeditions in search of the Himalayan magic.
Closer home, his son Sarath Krishnan has grown into an avid traveller. Adding a befitting afterword to his father’s much-loved travelogues, Sarath is on a mission to trace his father’s steps in the company of his 60-year-old mother. “I felt I would experience the true joy of exploring the Himalayas only if my mother travelled the same roads as my father and witnessed the wonders that he did,” says Sarath
The wanderlust gene is all too evident in Sarath. He took to road trips on his motorcycle quite early on. He often travels with his friends, but enjoys going on soul-searching getaways all on his own. He remembers that he never thought of his mother as a travel companion until it dawned on while travelling with friends.
Growing up, Sarath had rarely seen his mother Geetha Ramachandran venture out any further than the Vadakkumnatha temple near their home. She had always said that she preferred to stay home, unlike his father. But today, Geetha is a travel enthusiast, looking for new destinations and planning the itinerary. As travel buddies, the mom and son have covered several destinations on their bucket list.
“One of our first trips was to the cave monuments of Ajanta and Ellora. She lists it as her favourite destination till date. Though I had to coax her to take that first baby step, my mother surprised me by transforming into an earnest traveler by the time our trip ended. Once we were back, she was already planning the next trip and even chalked out a possible itinerary,” grins Sarath.
The first destination she chose on her own was Varanasi. “We had just started our train journey back from Varanasi when the Malayali ticker examiner we met on the train told us that Delhi isn’t much far from there. He gave us a new travel goal – visiting the picturesque Shimla. My mother seemed entranced by his graphic descriptions of Shimla. So, on we went, extending our Varanasi trip all the way to Delhi and then Shimla.
And it turned out to be a wonderful decision. The landscape was so breathtakingly beautiful. I could see the joy on my mother’s face and that made it even more worthwhile. From Manali, we hired a bike and travelled to Rohtang pass. That was the first my mother had ever travelled on a bike. But I guess she forgot all about being scared because the beauty of Shimla and Manali was laid out around us in all its glory.”
Next on their list is destination Kailash, say an excited Sarath. “Now, Kailash is one place that cast its spell on my mother a long time ago – through the writings of my father. She is super excited about the trip. If everything goes as per the plan, we should be off in June.”
Sarath says that he is keeping his fingers crossed since his mother turned 60 recently and people above 70 years of age are not granted permission to visit the Himalayas. “I want to make this happen for her. This should be the best time for it to happen too.”
The trip is planned over 18 days. Short stopovers are planned in between to make it easier for Geetha. It will also help the duo avoid harsh weather in different places. A trip to the Himalayas is one of the most tedious, as any travel enthusiast might tell you. Although he is aware of this, Sarath says he is positive that his mother will be able to enjoy it to the fullest. And that is enough inspiration to undertake the journey, he says.
M K Ramachandran has made it to the Himalayas 36 times. Sarath grew up devouring every little detail of those journeys in his books. He would have retraced his father’s footsteps when the time came, this he always knew. But, in taking the effort to do it in the company of his mother, this youngster also passes on a valuable massage to sons and daughters everywhere.