Had Arun Thadhaagath stuck to his job, he would have by now become a junior deputy tahsildar or, the very least, a village officer.
But the 45-year-old bachelor from Ambalamedu in Ernakulam, Kerala, prioritised travelling the world over career growth and hence remains a senior clerk at the District Collectorate even after 20 years in government service. His passion meant that he has so far taken over five-and-a-half years’ leave, often without pay, including for an expedition across India as a backpacker.
Mr. Thadhaagath, however, has no regrets even as he is set for another two years’ leave. This time, he plans to pedal his way across Europe starting from the venue of Paris Olympics on July 26, 2024. The European Union has approved his visa for two years with the condition that he must exit every three months and re-enter after three months.
“That Europe has a dedicated cycle track connecting the entire countries in the Union is one of the reasons for choosing Europe. The excitement of not knowing where you will be spending the nights and who you will be meeting along the way is at the heart of my journey. I want to invest in experiences and memories that life throws up rather than leading a mundane, monotonous life,” says Mr. Thadhaagath.
Arun Thadhaagath | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
By the time of his first exit after three months, he will have pedalled almost 4,000 kilometres covering France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Turkey. He will then fly to the West Asia and pedal across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries before re-entering Europe through Prague in Czechoslovakia.
The next round will cover Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia before flying out to Kazakhstan and then cycling around Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Mr. Thadhaagath will next enter Copenhagen in Denmark and cycle his way around Portugal and Spain in the following three months.
He then plans to take a short ferry from Spain to Morocco to spend the next three months cycling across the North African countries such Tunisia and Egypt. He will return to Europe for the last lap during which he plans to cover the remaining countries such as Switzerland and Italy.
Arun Thadhaagath | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“My first cross-country biking was in 2019-2020 through the South East Asian countries such as Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos up to the border of Vietnam where I was denied entry. I stayed mostly in Buddhist temples and houses of local people during that visit before getting stuck in hotels in Laos due to the pandemic,” said Mr. Thadhaagath.
Bank loan to fund trip
He had taken a bank loan of ₹2.5 lakh for the last trip, which was repaid this February only to take a fresh loan of ₹6 lakh for the forthcoming European tour. Since it is an even more ambitious tour, he may need more funds for which he is in the lookout for sponsors. But if that is not forthcoming, he has ensured an alternative line of credit of ₹10 lakh from his brother.
Mr. Thadhaagath is confident of repaying all the debts once he pedals back to Kochi after a couple of years.
Published - July 06, 2024 12:56 pm IST
