Months of anticipation finally culminated into the event that was the Jagriti Yatra 2011. Several uncertainties and apprehensions existed prior to the journey. While this blogpost was scheduled to appear about 2 weeks earlier as I sat writing it in the AC compartment of this one of a kind train called the Jagriti Express that was customized to include sleeping areas, bathrooms, washrooms, pantry cars, conference halls..you name it! But what really was the driving force behind this journey you may ask? I think it was the 450 odd strangers turned friends-for-life on the train which come from such varied backgrounds in terms of nationalities, personal backgrounds, walks of life, age groups et al.
Never before had I met such a vibrant group of people brimming with energy and enthusiasm to bring about a change in the society rather than just be bystanders and dinner table "wannabe" change makers.
A typical day would start at around 7 a.m with a rather mellifluous wake up call blaring on the PA system announcing 'Yatris, it is 7 am and it's time to wake up. I REPEAT, it is 7 am and its time to wake up. Our train will be reaching by 8 am. Please have your breakfast and de-board the train as soon as we reach since we have only a 10 minute halt. This was followed by a frenzy of sleepy people trying to hog the bathrooms and wash basins amid the background music which included 'Yun hi chala chal rahi', 'Aashayein', 'Kya Karoon' and 'Kandisa'. On most days, it was almost felt like you were inmates in the Bigg Boss house (in a nice way)!
By 8 am we would have reached our destination, still rather sleepy, the cold winter mornings fuelling the same. But 'Team Disha' armed with their super shrill whistles and motto of 'keep moving' ensured that by the time you reached the buses you were wide awake!
We covered 12 destinations in 15 days which meant covering the circumference of this country called India. Here's who-what we visited in a nutshell:
Mumbai: The starting point of the yatra. When I first walked into the IIT convention hall and saw this sea of people none of which seemed to be a familiar face, little did I know that 15 days later at Kalyan station it would be so difficult to say goodbye to the same people who had become family!
December 24, 2011 was also the day when we first rehearsed the 'Yaaron Chalo' song. The song is an anthem for all the yatris now and will surely be remembered for many years to come!
Dharwad: The next pitstop of the Yatra (Bigg Boss and the Amazing Race rolled into one) found us visiting SELCO which lit up the lives of people with solar power making it accessible and affordable to those who need it the most. What fascinated me was their 'Light to Education' program under which every child enrolled in government schools was given a solar powered lamp to study but which had to be recharged by bringing it to school the next day. This ensured a steady attendance of pupils.
Bangalore: The Silicon Valley of the East was next. We had an interactive session with Mr. Narayana Murthy who poured his heart out to us. What an unassuming man, what a powerful visionary and such a humble human being. We were super impressed with the Infy campus and inspired by the man who made it all possible.
This was followed by a panel discussion on technology start-ups comprising of the founders of Redbus, Babajobs and Ekopay. It was fascinating how seamlessly they had managed to integrate technology into successful entrepreneurial models.
Madurai: The city of temples brought with itself a visit to Aravind Eye Care, the pioneer in elimination of needless blindness. The model started by Dr. V has become a pilgrimage for millions of Indians who suffer from preventable blindness but who did not have the resources to avail medical facilities. There is no discrimination on the basis of the financial status of a person. The poorest of the poor and even the rich are given free medical aid if they so desire.
Kancheepuram: The damp, dark morning of Kancheepuram, a quintessential small sleepy town interspersed with small temples at every nook and corner. We met Gouthami who runs Travel Another India which is an enterprise engaged in rural tourism.
Vishakhapattnam: Vishakhapattnam is the home to Naandi- possibly India's largest kitchen which has also tied up with the government to provided hot midday meals to children in government and municipal schools. The Indian Navy hosted us in the evening and led us through some behind the scenes action.
Behrampur: By now we had come on almost the same latitude that we had started on. We were now on the eastern coast of the country in Orissa, a 180 degrees journey so far. We had the privilege of interacting with Mr. Joe Madiath, the founder of Gram Vikas whose story was truly inspirational. Gram Vikas has established sanitation facilities in the interiors of Orissa, one of the most backward regions of the nation. He calls toilets 'houses of dignity'
Patna: The dreaded North Indian winters awaited us in Patna. Wrapped in two-three layers of warm clothing we made our way to Nidan, an organisation striving to empower the underprivileged sections of the society including unorganized labour through community programs.
Deoria: The headquarters of the Jagriti Sewa Sansthan, we were greeted with much fanfare at the station with dhols and flower garlands. This was my first experience in an actual village. Lush green fields with bright yellow mustard flowers and freezing cold mornings, this was nothing short of a Yashraj movie set. I also made (in collaboration with others) my first ever business plan on rural tourism! We also had the opportunity to witness the traditional Alha performance which was one of the most entertaining dance performances I have ever seen in my life! Post this, we danced the night away.
New Delhi: The capital city was enveloped in thick fog the day we reached resulting in a 2 hours delay which proved to be a boon since we could catch up on some sleep. By now, deodorant cans had begun replacing buckets of cold water! The morning had sessions scheduled with the Ministry of External Affairs and a panel discussion with entrepreneurs such as William Bissell of FabIndia. What mesmerized me however, was the talk given by Anshu Gupta of Goonj. His words about how people are unable to afford clothing, the basic facet of human dignity and well-being still echo in my ears. A deeply moving session and a wake up call to face the reality!
Tilonia: The Barefoot college started by Bunker Roy in this discreet part of Rajasthan is responsible for lighting up remote villages all around the world. He started the concept of Solar Engineer Grandmothers who were handpicked and trained to bring about electrification of villages where no government programs had reached. In addition to this, Tilonia manufactures items of daily use as well as handicrafts. The yatris indulged in much longed for retail therapy.
Ahmedabad: The penultimate day of our journey brought us to the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. The serene environs of the ashram resounded with Gandhiji's favourite bhajans, his way of life and teachings as we delved into trying to understand our life's purpose and all that we had experienced in the past fortnight. The evening session consisted of an interaction with SEWA, the women's self help group that aims at empowering rural Indian craftswomen. This was followed by the valedictory ceremony amidst loud cheers but somewhere deep down it was difficult to accept the fact that we would have to get back to our 'normal lives' the following day. It was an emotional moment for most of us when we sang the Jagriti anthem for one last time.
A few yatra moments I will never forget:
- The announcements over the PA system which were always followed by 'I repeat'
- The Fire Drill. "This is a drill", "this is a fire drill" (James Bond, much?)
- The long queues outside the tent bathrooms and the struggle to take a bath with ice-cold water in a moving train including the relentless sounds of "Does anybody have an extra bucket or an extra mug?"
- The hilarious and random conversations with the awesome people who lived in 15/7 and 15/8
- The endless hours spent on random platforms "networking" with people when the train was supposedly scheduled to arrive in 5 minutes
- The scramble for seats in the AC chair car sessions
- The new year celebrations inside a moving train replete with dance et al.
- The ever so cheerful catering guys who ensured that the 15 day 'diet' went for a toss!
- Learning Afrikaans and teaching my 'sister from South Africa' Hindi
- The sound of shrill whistles courtesy Team Disha
- The paparazzi moment at the Barefoot college at Tilonia where hundreds of children gathered to greet us
- The folk dance at the Gram Vikas school at Berhampur, Orissa
- The Jagriti anthem steps which I thought resembled Tai-chi at times!
- The Aquafina water bottle collection which 'is to be recycled and used to create an installation for the London Olympic Games'
- The Lifeline exercise with the group
- Not more than 6 hours of sleep in a day (luxury!)
- The beautiful countryside of India
My biggest take-away from the Yatra? Do what you are really passionate about. You couldn't care less about the world.
"Yaaron chalo, badalne ki rut hai!"
ps: Wish to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience? Apply here http://2012.selections.jagritiyatra.com/register/jagriti/
