Meet the mother-son duo from Kochi who drove pan-India, covering 16,800 kilometres in 49 days
The Hindu
Mitra Satheesh began her car journey, Oru Desi Drive, in March, when COVID-19 cases were falling. The second wave forced her to cut it short
“The situation worsened by the time I reached Guwahati. I had three choices: to leave my car behind and fly home, send my son home alone or to continue with the trip,” says Mitra Satheesh who started her pan-India car journey, Oru Desi Drive, in March this year. At that point, COVID-19 cases were falling, vaccination drives had begun, and travel had been allowed. Along with her 11-year-old son Narayan, Mitra set off from Kochi in an attempt to build confidence about restarting local travel. Apart from family and friends, she also had the support of India Tourism. Her original plan was to cover 20,000 kilometres in 100 days. But the second wave forced her to cut it short. However, she still managed to travel 16,800 kilometres in 49 days, in her Maruti S-Cross. An Assistant Professor at the Government Ayurveda College in Tripunithura, Mitra says she also wanted to be back at work since “cases were rising in Kerala. I would be needed here.” Mitra was deputed to work at the COVID First Line Treatment Centre (CLFTC) last year.
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