For 47-year-old Josphine Jose, a psychologist from Thrissur, one of her brightest childhood memories is the ride on her father's two-stroke Bajaj Super.
It was during those trips her father, Jose Kavalakkat, who had served with the Military Engineering Services, would tell her about a dream to tour the country on his two-wheeler.
Fate didn’t allow them to fulfil that dream together. Josphine decided to honour her father's memory in a unique way—17 years after his passing.
With her brand-new Grand Vitara, fondly named “Laadalee” (meaning darling in Hindi) and affectionately nicknamed “Laddoo,” she embarked on a solo journey across 18 states and 4 Union Territories, covering an impressive 14,277 kilometres in 75 days.
“I have a habit of gifting myself an experience every year, and a Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir road trip was always on my bucket list. But this journey was entirely unplanned,” says Josphine.
“I packed a few essentials, informed some cousins and friends for safety, and told my mother and sister that I was collecting data for my PhD thesis.”
A psychologist practising in Thrissur for six years, Josphine had left her 19-year-long corporate career in the stock market to focus on her family in 2013.
Without a detailed itinerary, she often took detours and adjusted her routes as challenges arose. A self-imposed rule kept her driving only during daylight, with evenings reserved for finding homestays or hotels to rest.
While Josphine describes the experience as “crazy,” it wasn’t without its share of hurdles.
In Odisha, a group of bikers staged a fake accident to rob her and later pursued her after realising she was travelling alone.
Josphine described her happiest moment as sharing her accomplishment with her mother, Bloomy Jose, and hearing her say, "Your dad would have been proud of you."