THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore,” said the famous French author André Gide.
This might be the same emotion that made explorers like Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Xuanzang, Afanasy Nikitin, Vasco da Gama, and more venture into unknown places with the courage to explore the world, challenging all odds, trusting the sun, stars, intuition, and a good bit of luck. Through their travels, they documented cultures, trade routes, and diplomatic ties between nations.
Centuries later, technology has transformed travel in so many ways. Yet, amid this modern ease, Ratheesh C Nair, the honorary consul of Russia and director of the Russian House in Thiruvananthapuram, is looking back into the past that faded eons ago. He plans to retrace a legendary journey that took place 555 years ago.
Ratheesh is dusting off the pages of history and embarking on ‘VOYAGE@555,’ an expedition following in the footsteps of Afanasy Nikitin, the Russian explorer who landed in India before Vasco da Gama. Ratheesh is recreating that journey to commemorate the friendship between India and Russia.
“Nikitin arrived in Kozhikode in 1472. In April 2022, marking the 550th anniversary of his visit, Customs Road in the city was named after Nikitin. However, Nikitin first arrived in India in 1469 when he reached the Gujarat port, making this year the 555th anniversary of his arrival. This sparked the realisation that if he was the first Russian to visit India, then 2024 marks the 555th anniversary of Indo-Russian relations. This milestone deserves to be celebrated,” Ratheesh says.
It is understood from his book, Voyage Beyond Three Seas, that Nikitin reached Gujarat in 1469. This book sheds light on 15th-century India. Now, like Nikitin, Ratheesh’s journey will begin from Tver in Russia on September 2.
The route will pass through the towns along the banks of the Volga River before reaching Azerbaijan. From there, the journey will continue by special vehicle through Iran. Then, Ratheesh will fly to Oman before arriving in India.
In his book, Nikitin mentions 20 places in India, and Ratheesh will visit all of them. This 40-day journey will conclude in the second week of October in Kozhikode. “I’m very excited about this journey. More than a trip, it’s a quest to reshape the outdated perception of Indo-Russian relations into a genuine partnership rooted in innovation, culture, and cooperation,” Ratheesh says.
According to him, this voyage is a way to showcase a new image of both nations, highlighting opportunities that go beyond borders. It’s also about strengthening trade ties. His ambitions go even beyond history and culture. He is using the journey as a way to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to foster academic collaborations.