Ramanan Selvam, having a penchant for travelling, travels on an expedition to Antarctica and publishes a book
A 45-year-old mechanical engineer, Ramanan Selvam, has brought out a book about his solo voyage to Antarctica.
The journey materialised after six months of preparation and in November 2017 he roamed between penguins, seals and krills, realising his goal.
A student of Government Higher Secondary School in Vettavalam in Tiruvannamalai, he was among the first batch to graduate in BE Mechanical Engineering from MNM Jain Engineering College in OMR.
One of the four in his class to pass without arrears, he secured a job after graduation. He then finished MBA and joined the car business Mahindra & Mahindra. He is situated in Paranur, Chengalpattu, and has a daughter and son.
As a youngster he aspired to visit the seven wonders of the world and began off with the Pyramids of Giza. He has subsequently flown to Angkorwat in Cambodia, viewed the Aurora Lights in Iceland and visited Masai Mara in Kenya, walked in Madagascar and Nepal. This week he travelled in Central Vietnam to see the lantern festival.
Could commoners visit Antarctica? “I believed Antarctica required more mental power and strength. Age was on my side,” he explains. His inquiry offered up intriguing material on the continent and also introduced him to a retired IAS official from Chandigarh who became his co-passenger in the journey.
A vegetarian he had little issue in getting food: “I eat eggs so I could manage. There are lots of vegetarian alternatives. There is always the salad,” Mr. Ramanan remarked. It was his difficulty to discover decent novels that inspired him to chronicle his experiences. “A personal loss during COVID-19” epidemic motivated him to create the trip.
How did his family accept his choice to travel on the pricey trip? “The family understands I don’t spend on myself. My wife recognises my enthusiasm for travelling,” he added. On 2018 January, he accompanied his family to Gulmarg in Kashmir to offer them an experience of snow. “That season there was more snowfall in Gulmarg than even in Antarctica,” he recounted.
He stated he put his managerial education to work. He has delivered lectures on preparation for projects in Anna University’s MIT campus for students.
The 15-day vacation cost him roughly ₹6 lakh. He has spent ₹5 lakh on publishing the book. By mid-March, the English translation of the book would be released. Already a college in Chengalpattu has made an order for 200 copies of the English translation.
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