Railway Rhapsody: Jagriti Yatra (Part I)

There was a rhythm as the wheels clashed against the tracks. The mechanical percussion of the train gradually became the score of the Yatri’s 2 week journey. Just as the ears enjoyed the beat, the eyes soaked in every moment of the passing landscape. Traversing through the peninsula and stopping at landmark destinations, the day merged into the night and the night seamlessly became a new day. To the buzz of the rustic fans and the chorus of a hundred simultaneous conversations, my voice found a place too.

The distant hills and the sun at twilight; the tall coconut trees and the short paddy fields; the silence of a sleeping train in the dead of a night and the din of jamming youngsters in the middle of a day; the shy, petite girl and the hefty boisterous boy; every vivid and contrasting image was complementary in the picture. From the remote villages of Maharashtra, a spark of a woman creating a change finds resonance in the grit of an erstwhile corporate employee now pursuing organic farming. The skip in the Punjabi’s dance finds a partner in the Tamilian’s kuthu. The experience of the Resource Persons complemented the enthusiasm of a young entrepreneur.

Welcome aboard India’s biggest and only enterprise adventure on wheels- Jagriti Yatra.

Dec 24^th- Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Chembur, Mumbai: the registration begins at 8 am. The long, winding queues of eager youngsters greets one at every desk- getting a medical “OK!”, an ID card and the Green Jagriti bag (from Goonj, Delhi). Initial introductions between Yatris, hearty welcomes from the team and an early insight into what to expect the next 15 days was followed by the crowd jumping to its feet and grooving to PSY’s Gangnam style. Indian steps, Korean rap. The hall was absolutely roused. The same Indian steps were smoothly fit to the Jagriti anthem, “Yaron Chalo!”.

Completely pumped, the 500 odd gathering put its hands together to welcome the first entrepreneur role model, Raghunath from the dabbawalahs of Mumbai. His dramatic one-liners to explain simple business ethics like “work is worship” won the Yatri’s approval. The logistics of the tiffin supplier’s association, how they manage to conduct four million transactions everyday, left the audience dumbfounded. Thouroughly inspired, the conversations at dinner was a note higher than at lunch. From dinner to Lokmanya Tilak Station at Kurla, the talk was about everything from dabbawalahs to development to Dabangg 2.

Christmas came upon us at Kurla’s platform 1. And merry carols welcomed the customized train- complete with pantry cars, conference AC Chair cars and separate girls and boys bogeys. Yatris filed into their assigned bogeys and compartments dutifully, the train gave a hoot at around 1 am and off, we were to Dharwad, Karnataka.

Dec 25^th- Jagriti Rail: one whole day on the train. Understanding the train composition, getting to know co-yatris and gushing over the novelties on the train (like the cubicle bathrooms and the conference cars) Christmas was a differently festive affair this year around.

Dec 26^th- SELCO, Toe Hold Artisans & Kalkeri Sangeeta Vidyalaya, Dharwad, Karnataka: Kalkeri, a small village that housed a gurukul primarily devoted to teaching Hindustani classical music and then, other elementary academic subjects was our first stop. The atmosphere at the Vidyalaya was electric, solar electric. SELCO- Solar Electrification Company Pvt Ltd, founded by Harish Hande was our first role model visit. Their solar-powered computer lab in a bus was an innovation that caught many Yatris’ eye. This session was followed by a tour of the Vidyalaya’s modest campus that was completely solar-electrified. Also, we got a peek into the classroom and lifestyles of the under-privileged students and their foreign volunteer-teachers. Very inspiring, indeed. Then we had a session with Toe Hold Artisans from Athani, who were the designers of the famed kolhapuri chappals. The women collective model that now participates in fashion events in Germany and France taught us the power of collaborations. The day was interspersed by cultural performances by the students of the Vidyalaya.

Dec 27^th- Infosys, Bengaluru: how much do core values, business ethics and wealth sharing matter for any enterprise? The Yatris found their answer in the success story of Infosys. The campus bowled us over. The infrastructure outclassed any other corporation in vicinity. The awe was not to end soon. The second session of the day, in the same auditorium was a power lecture delivered by India’s best known woman entrepreneur, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw. The Biocon story, her personal struggles and rise and finally, a sharp Q&A session left the Yatris craving for more. To satiate our appetites a scrumptious spread was laid out in the grand banquet hall. Lunch was followed by a panel discussion on Information Communication Technology and start-ups.

The panelists- Phanindar (from Red Bus), Richa (from Zivame), Mekan (from Flipkart) and RV (from Dell)- all shared their lifelines and their organizations growth stories too. Each one of them egged us to find simple solutions and beat the fear of failure. To test the fundamental soundness of an idea and to stick by it was all their mantra. The discussion was an absolute winner. Yatris left the campus in great spirits and awaited for the train at the Whitefield station. The wait was nearly six hours long! The evening became night, with every star popping out, the enterprising minds came up with wacky ways to beat every minute. From Yoga sessions to jiving and random ice-breakers- thoughts about dinner and sleep were kept at bay. It was the culmination of a good three days in Karnataka.

Dec 28^th- Aravind Eye Care Hospital, Madurai, Tamil Nadu: Familiar cut-outs of MK Azhagiri greeted us at Madurai. The native script and outdated “Happy Birthday, Thalaiva!” posters for Rajnikanth made me feel at home. The health care vertical took an upward climb from Biocon to Aravind in the temple town of Madurai. The marvel of Dr V’s legendary eye-care model, with philanthropy and welfare at its core, moved the audience. A crisp presentation on the challenges and opportunities for the health sector followed by visits to the rural eye clinics, research laboratories and the eye hospital made the day truly memorable. The look of inspiration and breath of enterprise filled the compartments of the train that evening. Every eye on those wheels had read and understood Dr G Venkataswamy’s words,

“Intelligence and capability are not enough. There must also be the joy of doing something beautiful.”

Dec 29^th- Kuthambakkam, Thirumazhisai, Tamil Nadu: Chennai/Chengalpet was supposed to be the tropical highlight of a winter tour. What greeted us however was a drizzle, cloudy horizon over the hills and a scenic lake at the Chengalpet station. A quick dash to the waiting buses and we were off to Kuthambakkam to visit a model village. R Rlango, ex-Sarpanch, engineer by profession, had returned to his village 30 years ago to try and make it self-reliant, caste-divide-free and democratic at its core. He managed to do not just that, but also create a network of over 700 Panchayats across the nation, including ones in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. His ideas on women empowerment, communal harmony and economic independence brought such applause that I thought was reserved only for politicians, film stars or cricketers in our country. The under-construction hall resonated with a positivity that believed in good governance for sustainable development. The resonance centred from the chord in Elango’s quote, “India is not a poor country, but a country of poor.”

The rain could not dampen the spirits, a shine came upon the Yatris who now conspired to achieve something with renewed vigour.

To be continued…