By Quaid Najmi, IANS
Mumbai : Come May Day, and 400 rural youths will embark on a unique train journey from Mumbai to 13 Indian cities “to meet India’s real heroes” who have changed the country in its 60 years of independence.
Called the Jagriti Yatra (Pilgrimage of Awakening), the participants selected from across the country will interact with bottom-up innovators and entrepreneurs responsible for redefining India.
The 16-day Yatra will go to Mangalore, Kochi, Kanyakumari, Puducherry, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Tatanagar, Bhopal, Tilonia and Anand.
“The destinations were carefully selected as they are home to some of India’s leading examples of social and business entrepreneurship that have contributed towards creating a dynamic India,” said Gitanjali Bhattacharya, executive director of Jagriti Yatra.
As per tentative schedules, eminent personalities like R.K. Pachauri, Bunker Roy, Kiran Bedi and Mark Tully will join 50 facilitators, who are industry experts, on the Yatra-2008, Gitanjali, a London-based NRI, told IANS.
Exactly 10 years ago, to mark the golden jubilee of India’s Independence, a 21-day Azad Bharat Rail Yatra had taken 400 rural youths and offered them a glimpse of some of the modern temples of civilisation that have changed the face of India.
Gitanjali expressed hope that after 10 years, the participants on the second Yatra would have the opportunity to compare the stupefying changes that have transformed the Indian rural landscape.
“Our endeavour is to make the Yatra an annual feature, keeping in step with India’s fast-changing scenario in every sphere,” she added.
“In an era where cricketers, film stars and rock bands hold sway over the minds of Indian youth, I think we need to redress the balance by introducing them to stronger role models and mentors who will stoke their spirit of enterprise and guide them in becoming the ‘change-makers’ that we need today,” said Kaustav Bhattacharya, a co-organiser of Jagriti Yatra.
At each stop, the participants will visit inspiring individuals and centres of excellence such as Infosys in Bangalore, Aravind Eyecare Hospital in Puducherry and the Barefoot College in Tilonia.
The group of 400 young men and women will get an opportunity to directly meet and learn from entrepreneurs and institutions who are working in the business and social sector, initiating ground breaking approaches to Indian solutions for India’s unique challenges, Kaustav said.
Jagriti Yatra Board chairman Shashank Mani pointed out that a country starts to prosper when people, alongside the government, start building.
“While we have a number of seemingly insurmountable problems, we have a future that is powered by the momentum of a growing country. Gerd Behrens drew a contrast with the attitude in more developed economies – ‘The West resembles a marriage of convenience, while other growing civilisations are passionate affairs.’ More so for those pouring to fill the glass of India,” Mani observed.
Incidentally, Mani recorded the 1997 Azad Bharat Rail Yatra in a book “India – A Journey Through A Healing Civilisation” published by Harper Collins. “Then, the aim was to discover India and discuss its future challenges. Now, the aim is to introduce Indian heroes who have made a difference in the past 10 years,” Mani said.
Explaining the impact of that Yatra, one of the participants, Clyde D’Souza, said he gave up his plans to study and work in the US. He examined the potential in India and is now heading an international youth television channel here.
“ABRY knocked me off my high horse about the false notions of my own knowledge and intelligence and showed me how much more I had to catch up to keep up with the talent of India,” said another participant, Mohammad Ghasletwala, of Pandarpur, currently working for a multinational software company in Pune.
Gitanjali said the Jagriti Yatra is supported by a wide network of Indians and Indophiles around the world who are passionate about the effort. They consider it as a way of giving back to their roots and being a part of the Great Indian Dream.