Michael Angelo Zervos, a film director and producer from the US, plans to visit 195 countries in 554 days and set a new Guinness World Record. In every country, he asks people he meets one simple question — what is the happiest moment of your life?

“Someone here in Coimbatore can learn about what makes people happy in Kenya, Mexico or may be Russia and vice versa,” says Michael when he touched down at Coimbatore during the Indian leg of his epic adventure called Project Kosmos. Armed with a backpack and his trusty camera, he started his journey to every country on the planet from January 17 this year and aims to complete the schedule in June next year. It involves a tedious record of evidence from each country in the form of witnesses, GPS signal stamp in each country, digital receipts, tickets, journals besides photos and videos as evidence.

“This is my first time in India. I grew up in Michigan in a neighbourhood with Indians. I am familiar with the culture, languages, cuisine, art, music, and religions. To be able to come here and experience it feels like coming home,” he adds. With India, he checks off number 97 on the list while his journey started in Moscow. “I spent four cold days in the beautiful city. I went to Turkey next, explored Africa, before reaching West Asia and Asia Pacific islands. Now, from South Asia, I will travel across Central Asia. I plan to be in North Korea in December after which I travel to Europe, South America, Central America, before returning to my home in the US,” explains Michael, who dashed off to attend a wedding in Coimbatore. “There were 1000s of cars and we couldn’t find a parking space. I have been to Indian weddings in the States, but this was an incredible experience,” he says adding that being in India is a special moment as it marks the halfway point of his trip that has lasted over nine months.

Interacting with farmers at Anaikatti in Coimbatore | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Though Michael plans to spend less than a week in India, he plans to touch Mumbai, Delhi and Amritsar. In Coimbatore, on invitation from Round Table India and Ladies Circle India, he visited tribal villages in and around Anaikatti and interacted with indigenous communities. “I am teaming up for a special project at the villages,” he adds.

Though he believes that only 600 people in history have been to every country in the world, through Project Kosmos, his one man’s voyage, he wants to visit them all faster than anyone else. “While I am trying to break the record set by an American woman, I am also collecting stories throughout the world about happiness. I ask people I meet on the street, in restaurants, and cafes, on the happiest moment of their lives and share them online hoping to inspire young people. I talked to a farmer in Anaikatti who recalled a time when agricultural lands were fertile and farming flourished and food was abundant.”

Most stories, he says, are unique to a country, and culture and give you a sense of what that country might be. “I have heard incredible stories about determination and achievement, for example being the first graduate from a community in villages. Sometimes, the happiest moment is when somebody overcame a great illness or an accident, someone walking again for the first time after being hit by a car or being diagnosed with cancer and then defeating it with gusto.”

Though every story is unique, he particularly picks the story of a woman from Marshall Islands that impacted him at a personal level. “She was telling me about her grandmother’s bedtime stories of legends, myths and great beasts and teaching her right from wrong. I lost my grandmother recently and this brought back fond memories of my grandmother.” However, one of his biggest challenges has been to make a connection with people in a short time, earn their trust, and make them open up about a personal memory. “Ultimately, my goal is to put a smile on people’s faces. While scrolling through a bunch of distressing stories, if this story of happiness can light up even a single person, it makes my journey worth it.”

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