M.K. Ramachandran is a bestselling writer from Kerala, known for his unique travelogues. He has dedicated his life to travelling in the Himalayas and is perhaps the only pilgrim to have visited all five Kailash, called the ‘Panch Kailash’. These are Kailash Mansarovar, Adi Kailash, Kinnaur Kailash, Shrikant Mahadev Kailash and Manimahesh Kailash. Ramachandran won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 2005 for his first work, Uttarkhandiloode: Kailas Manasa Sarass Yatra. In January 2006, Malayala Manorama selected his book, Thapo Bhoomi Uttarakhand, as the best book in the Malayalam language written in the last fifty years. In 2009, he was presented with the Prof. M.P. Manmadhan Memorial Akshaya National Award. In April 2013, the king of Travancore, Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, honoured him with a ‘Raja Mudra’ (king’s knight) and bestowed on him the title ‘Himalaya Njana Satma’ (the good soul with knowledge of the Himalayas).
