Kerala's tea seller, who travelled the world with wife, passed away
- IndiaGlitz, [Friday,November 19 2021]
Kerala's popular tea shop owner Vijayan famed for touring the world along with his wife passed away on Friday morning following a heart attack. He was 71.
Vijayan and Mohana run a tea shop named Sree Balaji Coffee House in Kochi to live their common dream of traveling the world together. In a span of over 45 years of their marriage, the popular tea-selling couple has managed to travel over 25 countries so far. The couple often set apart Rs 300 daily to meet future traveling expenses. Sometimes, they availed of loans, and after returning from a tour, they repaid the loan by working hard at the teashop. Their first foreign trip was to Egypt in 2007. They had also visited the Himalayas in 1988. The couple had visited Moscow, St Petersberg, Russian Parliament, Red Square, and the Kremlin during their last trip. With an average daily footfall of 300-350 people in the tea shop, the couple has managed to tour almost every scenic destination in India along with a number of other countries including Britain, France, Austria, Egypt, and UAE. Their last trip was to Russia in October this year. They were planning to visit Japan next.
Their journeys attracted the attention of commoners, celebrities, and vloggers. In 2019, industrialist Anand Mahindra sponsored their visit to Australia after learning about the couple from a YouTube video by blogger Drew Binsky.
The couple hit the headlines last year after they were invited to superstar Mohanlal's house. Referring them as an inspiration, Mohanlal had tweeted, The amazing couple Mr.Vijayan & Mrs.Mohana who travelled to 25countries despite all their limitations,solely by running Sri #BalajiCoffeeHouse Kochi.I feel blessed to have had their company in my home and appreciate d meal they brought for me. An #inspiration to all.