A ‘Chaiwala’ Fulfills His American Dream

No bank gave Vijayan, an elderly tea-stall owner a travel loan. But he still took his wife Mohana to 16 countries!

Most people keep putting off pursuing their dreams. There is always something stopping us – too much work, not enough money, family responsibilities.

Mohana and Vijayan, an elderly couple from Kerala have not let their circumstances stop them.

Vijayan has been a tea-seller for over forty years, however, that hasn’t stopped him and his wife from touring almost every scenic destination in India along with a whopping 16 other countries – Britain, France, Austria, Egypt, UAE – the list goes on.

A passion that he developed young, even though their financial status did not permit it, Vijayan made sure their trips happened by getting bank loans. The couple would then spend the next two or three years clearing the debts.

But as the couple got older, it became more difficult for them to secure loans. And there was still one country they hadn’t visited. The USA had been on Mohana and Vijayan’s wish list for a long time.

When people heard about Vijayan’s financial constraints, offers to help the couple began pouring in. Two kickstarter campaigns and a substantial donation by actor Anupam Kher made sure the couple had enough money to go to America.

65 year old Vijayan and his wife, Mohana, who went city-hopping across a country that has been eluding them for a long time now, are back home and excited to talk about their trip. The travel agency Soman’s based out of Kochi also helped the couple, providing them a discounted trip.

We loved New York and Los Angeles. There are so many memories from our trip, but my wife enjoyed Universal studios the most. We thank everyone who helped us.
– Vijayan

Dreams do come true.

(With editorial inputs from The Quint)