While we are all tied up in our super scheduled lives, this passionate solo traveler – a rickshaw puller by profession, visits a random destination every year and that too at least for a month.
“Roti, Kapda aur Ghumna….!” – Ramsundar Mehta
Travelling happened to Ramsundar Mehta about 41 years ago. At the age of 12, he stole Rs 200 from his father to fund his first ever international trip to Nepal and then there was no stopping him. Oh, and the idea of the trip struck him because he was angry. Yes, he travels to vent out his frustration. Be it Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, erstwhile Calcutta, entire Bihar, and then Delhi, Himachal, Haryana, Punjab, and Kashmir, you name it and he has seen it.
His passion knows no excuse. Money doesn’t hold him back. “There were times when I used to go short on funds while on a trip. When I was In Kerala, I worked as a daily laborer and earned my way out.”
But does that stop him from being a good father? Well, there’s another side to this family man!
“I made it a point that I will educate my kids and bring them up in a way that would empower them to find and live their passion. From where do you think this resolve came from? Traveling! When you go to a place, you learn of diverse traditions, values and necessities.” This father of a son and two daughters enjoys full support of his family. His son is a student of Computer Science while the elder daughter is pursuing B. Com from a Delhi University college. The younger daughter is a student of Std. X in a convent school.
“Mera kya hai, mera toh bachpan se hi ek aim hai— ghoomna!”
53 years of age, Mehta Jee came to Delhi in the early 90’s and has earned his living from works ranging from vegetable vending to day laboring. Against all odds, he has managed to keep his passion live and kicking. He plans to go to Amarnath and Ganga Sagar next year if his ECG allows.
In the rush of our lives, we usually let go of our passion and manage to find some justifications. It’s time we sit back, take a break and go traveling because Mehta Jee says – “When you travel a place you take a new birth in the same life.”
An avid traveler, photographer, and writer, he can be spotted in a remote Indian destination twice every month. A true believer of “live like there’s no tomorrow”, Pushkar is out to strike all places off his bucket list before others have even made one!
