Bengaluru: A septuagenarian from Bengaluru who began traveling around the world in the early 60s was stereotypes.
Jayalakshmi Raju, 78 Now, was told the stories about France, the Eiffel Tower, London and Rome by his father (a supervisor at the Welding Department of Hal) since childhood and has been waiting to follow in his footsteps.
However, marriage and family responsibility forced him to put his dream in the back burner.
It was only in 2006 – two years after the death of her husband and when his children began to settle – that he decided to pursue a dream of his life.
Explain how he likes to take care of his family, the resident JP Nagar tells the Toi he will constantly remember the story told by his father K Krishna Raju.
“He has visited these countries as part of a helicopter project.
He is in France for two months and will explore it on weekends.
Listen to it, I will wonder when I will get the chance to see them,” Jayalakshmi said.
In 2006, with its savings and investment in the Chit fund, Jayalakshmi decided to travel to Singapore with his childhood friend Nagama.
His family is excited and supports.
“The price of Rs 75,000 for 12 days and my child’s friend helped us with a travel plan.
We visited Pattaya, Kuala Lumpur and Jetty Island,” he said.
The next trip was to Nepal and Mansarovar in Tibet two years later, where he even went up the helicopter close to Mt Everest.
Two years later, he began a 22-day trip to Europe.
Jeevitha P Raju, grandson of Eldest Jayalakshmi, said his grandmother traveled every two years in July.
“Incidentally, it was also my grandfather’s birthday,” he said.
“I traveled with a group of fellow tourists.
I have seen 22 countries, continuing a four-day cruise from Turkey to Greece, looking at Amitabh Bachchan’s wax statue at Madame Tussauds’s candle museum in London and touched every place to talk about by my father.” Jayalakshmi said, added that Seeing the lights at the Eiffel Tower after 10pm stayed the most magical experience for him.
It has sentimental values ​​because it reminds him of his father.
After Paris, he said Switzerland is the second favorite location.
“We played with snow and enjoyed the scenery.
It feels like reviewing our childhood,” he said.
Remembering US visit in 2012 where he saw the first plane by Wright Brothers at the Air and Space Museum of the National in Washington, DC, he said: “I liked Las Vegas’s sparkling road with light and displayed.
I visited San Francisco, Canada and Water Niagara plunge.
“Jayalakshmi has also covered the length and the breadth of India.
He remembered his visit to Amarnath just before the pandemic.
“There are some unfortunate incidents and my group are worried about going with the trip.
However, I don’t want to go back.
I said I didn’t mind if I died when I had fulfilled all my responsibilities,” he added.
The only regret is that he doesn’t have a good camera to catch valuable memories.
Jeevitha, a soft-skill coach, who has collected all photos and even maintained a photo of Jayalakshmi’s visa stamp, said his grandmother’s journey had inspired all his children and grandchildren.
“I have seen it doing household tasks and then as a traveler who inspires.
He will return with extraordinary stories and anecdotes,” he said.
Jeevitha added that her grandmother spent a pandemic sharing with them the craziest and most memorable stories of her holiness.
The next Jayalakshmi dream destination is South Africa and Japan.
“If my health pandemic and permission, I still have so many trips to do.
Everyone is worried because of the virus and I feel insecure for me to travel,” he said with nine sadness.
But how did he stay motivated to travel even at this age? “When people hit 60, they felt that alone.
There was nothing left for them.
The wrong mind to have.
People ask why I did this and travel to cold places? What if I fell ill? I said If you really want to do something, age is not a barrier.
All you need is courage.
If I fall ill, I will take care of myself back to health, “he signed.