The most memorable journey of my life

Jagriti Yatra- Most memorable journey of my life

I would like to start with asking a question to all present here. Which is the longest train journey of your life? Two days, three, four days? I peg my count at 15 on the world’s largest network of railways!!!

An ambitious train journey of 8000 kms, 15 days and 12 destinations taken with  400 young co-passengers,  across length and breadth of India– Jagriti yatra-  which is my topic for today.  The longest and most memorable and life changing journey of my life !

As the name implies, it is a social entrepreneurial journey to enlighten your soul. Jagriti Yatra is an initiative of Jagriti Sewa Sansthan, an NGO and was launched in 2008 by Shashank Mani – who is the founder of Jagriti yatra.

I went on this train trip in 2010. We started this journey from Mumbai, from where we headed down south to trivandram ,  then kanyakumari , way up to Delhi, rajasthan , gujrat and ended at Mumbai only.  Entire train was booked and restructured, which was to be our abode for the next 15 days of transformation. Most of the coaches were converted into bedrooms, the pantry into a fully functional kitchen and the chair cars served as boardrooms for panels discussions and mentor sessions, with a big LCD TV installed on the wall of the coach. Microphones were installed in every coach throughout the train for giving instructions and itinerary for the day from a centralized cabin.  Media was also a part of this journey to cover it live.

The train with 480 ‘yatris’ onboard stopped at 12 locations where we disembarked  to meet and interact with role models from across the country who are engaged in solving social and economic issues through their NGOs, social enterprises. We were exposed to social problems at the grassroots  level and how citizens can intervene. The idea was to inculcate seeds of enterprenership with a social cause in the middle class youth of India who has the idea and somewhat means to convert that into reality.

We were divided into groups with a mentor assigned to us. We visited various NGOs like Thanal (in trivandram), Naandi(Hyderabad, famous for mid day meal) and Goonj(in Delhi for providing clothes to poorest of villages). We also visited various establishments in big cities like Aravind Eye Care Centre in Madurai and TATA steel in Jamshedpur, just to get a feeling of operations at ground level. But what touched me most was a big residential school for under privileged kids in jaganathpur, in the middle of naxal forests of Orissa, where free education, food and shelter is provided. It was so overwhelming to see how these people are devoted to upliftment of the society despite limited means.

Then there were speeches by various role models who had started these ventures on their own. We were so thrilled to listen to their journey for this cause.

So, It was truly a journey of self-awakening and I was deeply moved from within, during those 15 days. Since then, we ie. me and my husband , once back from this journey decided to join one of these initiatives. We have joined Goonj. We collect and donate discarded but good condition clothes at the collection centers every year.  We were inspired to undertake our own building journey for this social cause.

While I deliver this speech here, another group of young aspirants are out there undertaking the 10^th edition of this incredible this journey called Jagriti yarta! I would leave you all with a question to ponder on – how we can be the change that we want to see!