Three Chennai retirees travel to both ends of the Earth

CS Chandrasekaran (67), Venkata Subra Maniam Raju (65), and Krishnan Venkatesan (65), 3 friends from Chennai, are conscionable backmost from an expedition to the Arctic. In July this year, they embarked connected a luxury cruise (Swan Hellenic), sailing done the distant Svalbard archipelago, North of mainland Norway to the breathtaking vistas of the Arctic region.

Swaddled successful layers of lukewarm covering and gliding done icy fjords, taking successful jaw-dropping views of snow-dusted peaks, it was a travel that inspired awe. “The quality and the soundlessness were sublime — a reminder of however tiny we are successful Nature’s expansive design,” says Venkatesan.

But this was not their archetypal polar expedition. In January 2024, they travelled to the Antarctic Peninsula, a travel that opened their hearts and minds.

The 3 elder citizens, who retired arsenic elder executives from companies successful West Asia, person been long-time friends, who shared a passionateness for question and adventure. Currently settled successful Chennai, the globe-trotting trio, who person each travelled to implicit 40 countries, decided to pursuit a cherished imagination — to travel to the poles.

In 2023, they enactment their heads unneurotic and started readying a travel to Antarctica. Things fell successful spot and by January 2024, they were acceptable for the journey.

They did their probe and prepared well, went to the gym for fitness. “We knew the travel would beryllium intensive, fixed the upwind conditions. But our families were precise supportive and we felt we had thing to lose. We could spend to instrumentality immoderate risks,” says Chandraserkaran, who adjacent did a polar plunge, on with Raju. “We had to dive into icy waters from the ship. It was an inexplicable experience. All I tin accidental is, the bosom stops beating for a fewer seconds and past you travel backmost alive,” helium adds.

Polar expeditions are astir earthy escapade and a implicit disconnection from the modern satellite and its chaos, accidental the friends. “An expedition cruise successful Antarctica means kayaking among icebergs, hiking done untouched snowfields, and being surrounded by wildlife. We saw herds of seals and rookeries of penguins. We adjacent caught show of the elusive Emperor penguin and were fortunate to spot a humpback whale breaching adjacent our Zodiacs (rugged inflatable boats that ferry radical from the vessel to the shore). Watching the animals successful specified immense numbers successful their earthy situation was an acquisition that volition enactment with america forever,” says Venkatesan.

They flew crossed the Drake Passage from Punta Arenas, Chile, to King George Island successful Antarctica and acceptable sail connected the Ocean Adventurer (of Quark Expeditions). With temperatures astir –5°C, each time (they were successful Antarctica for 8 days and 7 nights) was filled with excursions connected Zodiacs. Their travel concluded with a detour to Patagonia’s Torres del Paine, offering a last opposition of rugged mountains and windswept plains.

But the acquisition wasn’t without reflection, accidental the friends. They witnessed firsthand the effects of clime alteration — melting glaciers and shifting crystal patterns — a reminder of the planet’s fragility. “In our squad were researchers, who explained to america however rapidly the portion is changing,” says Venkatesan.

Back successful Chennai and energised by their Antarctic success, the friends were acceptable connected completing their polar quest. In July 2025, they took a chartered formation from Copenhagen to Longyearbyen successful Norway — the world’s northernmost municipality — to people the opening of their Arctic expedition.

The wealthiness of wildlife was the archetypal striking happening astir the Arctic. “They seemed to look successful a melodramatic fashion. One morning, we watched successful soundlessness arsenic a polar carnivore ambled on an crystal floe — majestic, powerful, and humbling. On different day, we floated past walruses lounging similar grumpy giants connected the shore. We saw a fig of reindeer and snowfall foxes. Puffins, guillemots, and Arctic terns filled the skies, portion belugas and seals danced successful the icy waters,” says Raju.

It was summertime and 1 of their lasting memories from the travel is lasting connected the ship’s platform astatine 2am, sipping blistery cocoa nether the midnight sun.

A sojourn to the famed Global Seed Vault (at the distant Arctic Svalbard Archipelago) was special. “A retention installation for seeds from astir the world, it is humanity’s security argumentation for harvest biodiversity,” Venkatesan adds.

Chandrasekaran and Raju dove erstwhile much into polar waters successful the Arctic Circle.

As they departed Longyearbyen, they carried much than souvenirs and snapshots, taking with them memories etched successful crystal and sky.

The trio, successful their sixties, considers it a feat to person completed some polar expeditions wrong 18 months. “From adapting to sub-zero temperatures (a acold outcry from our lukewarm Chennai) to managing vegetarian diets, the travel tested our endurance, planning, and spirit. But each situation was met with resilience, camaraderie, and unyielding curiosity,” says Chandrasekaran. And, yes, they had an Indian chef, who rustled up immoderate vegetarian dishes for them.

Until they program their adjacent adventure, the friends volition speech astir their travel to the poles — the silence, the purity, and the enormity of the acquisition that near them profoundly moved.

(As told to Anasuya Menon)