Sasidharan Pillai, a native of Naduvattom in Alappuzha, can’t ignore the calling of the mighty Himalayas. He locks up his small business and sets off on the journey.
Sasidharan is gearing up for such a journey on July 16. This is his fifth trip to the snow abode.
It was in 2015, he first scaled the Himalayas. It was to Amarnath, that too without any preparations. Many people, who he met on the way extended help then.
In the next three years that followed, he visited the Adi Kailash in Uttarakhand, Kinnaur Kailash, Shrikhand Kailash and Manimahesh Kailash in Himachal Pradesh and Mansarovar Kailash in Tibet. This time he is again visiting Kinnaur Kailash.
Unlike the first trip, he has booked accommodation facility, trek permission and other facilities. Some of the friends he met on other trips are accompanying him on the journey.
According to Sasidharan, the true spirit of the journey is in walking the whole distance.
Sasidhran’s father Gopala Pillai had a hotel at Haripad. During the school days, he used to help his father at the hotel. After tenth standard he dropped out of school and took up hotel business. It was later converted to cool drinks and stationery shop.
Travel had always enthused and energized Sasidharan. Just for the love of travelling, he had worked as taxi driver. He has drove to Bilai in Madhya Pradesh on an Ambassador car. Earlier, people came in search of him for trips outside Kerala. Ten years back, he sold the car.
Each journey would take around a month and would amount to an expense close to one lakh. Even if he saves on a year’s profit, it won’t help. The fund for the journey is collected by borrowing from friends and bank loans. The liability till date itself is huge. But can’t ignore the calling, vouch Sasidharan.
When a journey is completed, the next destination is already etched in the mind. When Sasidharan goes on the journey, his wife Ushakumari and children Rashmi and Ajiraj look after the shop.
