KOCHI: Life is too short to be complaining about. This realisation strikes a person after facing difficult situations, like a disease maybe. Akhil Kesavan, a 35-year-old vintage car buff, had his moment of epiphany after he got infected by the coronavirus. Once he recovered, he decided to act upon his everlasting urge to travel — go places and meet people.
Now, Akhil is living his dream — eat, sleep, drive, repeat — and spreading the joy wherever he goes. Hailing from Thrissur, Akhil is the CEO of a software company named Akira Software Solutions. He plans to cover a distance of around 18,000 km in this journey, including places in India and neighbouring countries like Nepal and Bhutan. “Till now, I have covered more than 8,000 km in 40 days,” says Akhil, who is travelling in a 1985 model Maruti 800.
“I have two passions in life— travelling and vintage vehicles. This trip is a combination of both,” adds Akhil, who says 2020 brought many changes to his life as it did for the rest of the world. “But instead of succumbing to the pressure, I looked forward to travelling again. Finally, when the time felt right, I took a break from being a CEO and restored one of my favourite vehicles — a 1985 model vintage Maruthi 800,” he says.
Akhil eats along the way and sleeps in his car when he is tired. “I travelled more than 8,000km,” said Akhil, who reached Nepal a couple of days ago. During the trip, which started in Kanyakumari, he is fulfilling his wish to meet and connect with like-minded souls.
“I’m doing a mini vlog about my travel and I intend to take it further. This started as something I did for myself, my peace of mind. Now I wish to share my experiences with the rest of the world. I want to motivate more people with it,” he says.
After Nepal, he plans to go to Bhutan and then the Northeast before travelling back home via Kolkata. He got plenty of help from SS80 club, a Facebook group, who came to his aid when his car hit any roadblock, literally or metaphorically. Akhil has much bigger plans in his pipeline. “A much-awaited trip around the world in my vintage blue Maruthi. I’ve always felt a car is not just a tool, but almost an extension of one’s body and soul,” he adds.
With the thought of creating smiles every mile, and the message to ‘save vintage’, you could find Akhil and his Blue Maruthi 800 pass by, wherever you are in the country. “If you do spot me, do not hesitate to approach me. I’m always all ears for new information and new destinations,” he says.
Eat, sleep, repeat
Akhil is passionate of two things, travelling and vintage vehicles. He kickstarted his journey in a 1985 model vintage Maruthi 800.