For three weeks this summer, ad-maker Rajesh K Abraham, his wife Simi Mammen, and their five children (aged 6 to 17), turned their compact SUV into a moving classroom. They drove over 7,000km across 13 Indian states, from Kochi, their hometown, to Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh.
“My children, like most others after the pandemic, live in the digital world. I wanted to snap them out of that space,” says Rajesh. “So, this wasn’t just a holiday. It was a deliberate attempt to reclaim education.”
Having travelled extensively for work, Rajesh had seen the nooks and crannies of rural India, and greatly values the lessons that one invariably learns along the way. “I wanted my children to have similar experiences. To see India through their eyes,” he explains.
While the family had gone on holidays before, they were boxed in by the package itineraries, pre-booked hotel bookings and travel arrangements. “This time, we took our own vehicle, and that meant freedom,” says Rajesh, who has also acted in and directed films.
The family, which calls itself ‘Seven Farers’, began their journey on April 21. The route passed through Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, and back through Telangana.
“It took 23 days, and what an eventual three weeks it was,” Rajesh recalls. Indeed, as they traversed different terrains and cultures, India reported a new Covid surge, Operation Sindoor was launched; and elsewhere on the globe, a new Pope was elected.
History was happening all around them, but inside the car, life slowed down. “At first, everyone clung to their devices. But slowly, we stopped being separate individuals. We got to know each other again and became a better family,” Simi smiles.
For the journey, each child enjoyed their own window, in both the literal and metaphysical sense of the word. Amelia, the youngest at 6, is nicknamed Jhansi Rani at school. “So, when she stood in front of the real Jhansi Fort in Uttar Pradesh, it really moved her,” Simi recalls.
Joshua, 7, who’s crazy about automobiles, kept spotting different models along the way. Angelina, 10, sketched views from the windshield. Olivia, 14, greatly enjoyed sampling street food. “Thanima, the oldest at 17, who was initially reluctant, eventually became obsessed with shopping in bazaars,” Rajesh says.
Meanwhile, for Simi, who had spent years at home taking care of the children, it was a deserved break to finally step out into the world. “She used to call herself a mindfarer, for she made long journeys only in her head. With this trip, she has officially become a roadfarer,” Rajesh quips.
For the entire journey, the cost was only `4.5 lakh, and this covered their food, stays, fuel, and entry tickets to select tourist destinations. “We didn’t have any premeditated ideas about what to do, where to camp, etc. All of that happened on the go,” Rajesh says.
But, of course, the journey wasn’t all rosy. In Himachal’s Rampur village, the group witnessed a cloudburst that washed away an entire village, homes and farmland. “But the people there were determined to build it all back up. You can’t teach that kind of inner resilience. My children saw it, and I think that moment will stay with them,” says Rajesh, who is currently working on a Hindi feature film based on road trips.
Similarly, a lot more such experiences, all teaching invaluable lessons about India and life itself. “We have made new friends too along the way. That was another gift of the trip,” Simi chips in.
Now, back home, the group is narrating stories to their classmates and colleagues. “In doing so, the trip becomes real again, and will, no doubt, inspire others too to go on similar adventures,” Rajesh says.
As to what’s next, he answers, “A global road trip!”
