Benny Kottarathil, 53, and his wife Molly Benny, 46, from Pallickathod, Kottayam, have just returned from an expedition around India on foot. Their walking expedition that started on December 1, 2021, from Kanyakumari took 216 days to draw to a close on July 3, 2022.
“We started this expedition to promote walking and give a message to childless couples that travelling together could bring a new sense of awakening,” says Benny.
Having worked as teachers in Andhra Pradesh for more than 15 years, they were forced to return home following Covid. Benny and Molly decided to undertake a journey around the country. However, they had to mortgage her gold and borrow money from friends and family to meet the travel expenses. Throughout their journey, the couple experienced a number of challenges.
“Once when we were staying in a temple in Villupuram, Tamil Nadu, a thief came to rob the temple at 2am. A dog, which was with us, barked and scared the thief away,” says Benny.
He also recalls a near-death experience when they escaped getting run over by a lorry that had lost control and was speeding towards them while walking through the Banihal Pass in Kashmir. “One day, while we were in Bihar, we didn’t get any accommodation. We had to spend the night in a cemetery. It was kind of creepy,” says Molly. While they ate at restaurants and dhabas, enjoying a variety of cuisines, the couple’s favourite pick is what they tasted at Andhra Bhojanam in Andhra Pradesh.
Molly and Benny have a YouTube channel, ‘Vicky’s Wonder World’, named after a puppy gifted to them by their student in Chennai. They have shared their expedition on the channel. Of all the places they visited, their favourite is the Golden Temple in Punjab.
Benny speaks six languages and that made their journey easier. Back home, the couple is looking to settle down. “I need to find a job and rebuild my home, which is in a bad state now,” says Benny. They are set to travel again if they get sponsors who are willing to support them financially.
The Universal Records Forum awarded the 2022 National Record for the “First Couple to Walk Around India” to Benny and Molly for covering 17 states in seven months and three days.