Railway Rhapsody: Jagriti Yatra (Part III & Final)

The funny thing about travel is that you both soak in and move out of an environment very quick. Is it substantial enough to ever leave an impact, but a treasure of memories? And memories, as one wise guy said, is a chameleon. It changes colour and shape with the present environment and the vast tales that you go through between "that" moment and now. However through those quick lessons travel teaches many things. About holding on and letting go; about being cautious and taking risks; about crowds and solitude; about not being stationary. When there are so many other co-travellers, learning becomes an easier process, if learning was found necessary.

A hundred new questions, some of which became nagging doubts, arose in our minds. Just we all wondered about sanitation at Patna’s station, we too were leaving a trail of bio-waste everytime we travelled. What to do about that? Little green (meant-for-recycling) cabins were created in every bogey, where we had to dump the empty plastic bottles of water and juice. We were generating more plastic waste in the 2 weeks than our normal 2 months. What to do about that? Nothing will stop us from volunteering or working with any of the role-model organization, on the other hand a hundred false promises were made on partnering for development. What to do about that?

But I realized that cynicism is the biggest obstacle in our lives and to get over that we need to believe in something, for something. With that belief, I journeyed on…

2nd Jan- Jagriti Rail- Patna was the starting point for the cold wave and it creeped through the train's compartments like a ghostly element with outstretched hands and formless pervasiveness. The garam coffees, chais, halwas and dal were little respite on a day when everybody cowered shivering over their Biz Gyan Tree exercise. The next two days would be spent at Deoria, the birth place of the mother organisation- Jagriti Sewa Sansthan. At Deoria we would first survey a nearby village and come up with a business model suitable for the village, aiming at its development, based on the interest-vertical we chose. The ‘magnanimous’ sponsors of Jagriti Yatra- Google, Dell, Cairn India, Bajaj and CocaCola- were all egging us to come up with such amazing plans which they would support us in realizing.

And so sat the bright minds within those blue berths, cramped but freely discharging ideas (however weird and implausible) with the hope that they (and their friends) would one day be heading a start-up that emanated only scents of development.

3rd & 4th Jan- Deoria, Uttar Pradesh- dhol, genda-phool garlands, teeka and it looked like an entire platoon had turned up on the platform to welcome this group! Deoria, the village, was a two hour drive away. The dipping temperature not acting like a spoilsport, the yatris jumped at every opportunity to shake a leg. So the first once when we stepped out of the station, then once before we split for the nearby villages (market survey), once after we got back (Biz Gyan Tree presentation) and once the next morning (before departing from Deoria). Every knee kicked, every hand simply lashed out, every hip twisted to inhumane extent, but that was simply the youth dancing.

So after unloading our backpacks and filing out of the tent erected, we headed to the nearby villages. The sad images of Patna's railway station was swiftly wiped out by the vast green fields of wheat, paddy and sugarcane. The yellow heads of the mustard fields stood out on that grey evening and the next bleak morning. Nature greeted us at its prime, birds happily chirping and animals happily co-existing with each other and the villagers.

What was intended to be a quick village-study turned out for half the crowd (the other half still dutiful in their venture) to be a facebook experience. Like paparazzi greeting Oscar invitees, shutterbugs went crazy. In the middle of the sarson ka khet a la DDLJ; on the villager's cot biting off a sugarcane, so macho; a friendly hand around four kids giving their best smiles; by the side of the old lady cooking her dal on a chulha- every rural experience was on the camera, on the status update, on the tweet. In a couple of hours, questions still hanging in the air about employment, feasibility, cost and resources, we all trooped back to lay out our amateur biz plans to the panel that would pick the best 7 to return for brainstorming in February.

The presentation done, the local folk group came on stage and displayed their skills. Dancing with daggers, fire, whatnot. The music set the tone for what was to follow. A village-DJ! The temperature was turning a grave 3 degrees, but the crowd danced till 3 am. Those who got selected danced, those who didn't get selected danced even harder.

The next morning, like the devout walking towards the shrine, the team, yatris and JSS members all walked towards the huge-200-year old banyan tree that was the symbol of the Yatra and Sansthan. Photos done with, a quick yoga session and speech on enterprise led development followed. We were to head back, pick our bags and leave to Gorakhpur station where the train would be waiting for us.

5th Jan- IIT Delhi & Goonj, New Delhi- IIT Delhi, the hallowed institution for a lot of engineers on the train, alma mater to some and a destination that was-to-be for many others. The conference hall was gleaming proper, with its stark orange chairs. And then the surprise visitor- Sam Pitroda! He spoke of his role in the National Innovation Council, his personal story from Orissa to the US and back, how youngsters had to try and revolutionize the processes around them. He went out as swiftly as he came in. Post the power-lecture we had a panel discussion on Education and Enterprise. It was already 4 pm by then. We were yet to visit the most-advertised inspirational stop, Goonj.

At Goonj, we didn't see and learn like we did at other NGOs, we were made to feel to learn. Feel angry, as Anshu Gupta provoked, at why there were potholes on the road, at why women are unsafe on the streets, at why hundreds of the homeless succumb to winter! Some questions were so hard-hitting that it left a handful of participants in tears. Some were outraged, some were depressed, some were inspired, some were guilty, but all surely felt something. So moving were the instances when he recounted how Goonj constantly tried to provide basic clothing needs for the rural and urban under-privileged. From urban waste to rural resources, Goonj was the epitome of best economic utilization of resources. (more of which I will write about soon)

We left Goonj by 10pm that night. Exhausted, ashamed, angered and inspired. The train was to be waiting at the Safdarjung station. We reached by 11pm, there was no train in sight. Someone announced that we had to wait another 2 hours and we could make ourselves comfortable (and warm) in the waiting buses. Some chose to stay on the platform. The temperature dangerously dipped. We were trembling beneath our shawls and sweaters. Our bones seemed frozen, faces going pale by the moment and limbs hurting from the severe chill. We wanted to get under our blankets and quick. But that was not to be! The driver of the train had gone for his own picnic, abandoning the train at the dock yard. When the train snuck in at 4am, we were all aware of what Anshu Gupta had spoken for we had experienced the lack of adequate clothing that night.

6th Jan- SWRC, Tilonia, Ajmer, Rajasthan- who is your dentist? Someone with a proper degree from a certified institution? In Tilonia the dentist is an illiterate old woman. Her friend, another old woman is an electrician. She can sort out the technicalities of a solar panel like she was telling you the ingredients of churma. This is what Social Work Regional Centre has been upto. Popularly known as Barefoot College, it equips untrained, illiterate villagers with practical skills to go and practise in their village. It has inculcated ideologies of democracy and parliament in the classrooms of its children. Barefoot college has students from Nigeria and Kenya. Village women, them too, who come asking to set up solar lighting in their villages. This became a touch-and-go destination, with the crowd enthusiastically shopping  the handicraft material on sale more than visiting the model-projects. That was due to our late arrival, early sunset and quick departure. However I urge you to check out this video or read about this organisation whenever time permits.

7th Jan- Sabarmati Ashram & Town Hall, Ahmedabad, Gujarat- this was our last stop before reaching Mumbai on the 8th. In ethnic clothes we all stepped out of the train. Many young ladies in sarees, half-sarees and pretty salwars suits and the men in their dhotis, pajama-kurtas. It was a very pleasing sight. First stop of the day was Sabarmati Ashram. Seeking Gandhian values or not, introspecting as the Sabarmati ran silently or not, cameras triggered galore. One huge group picture too was thrown in for good. Gandhiji were he alive, would have wistfully nodded at the irreverence of his ashram being a stop-point on an inspirational trail.

Quickly we were sent to the Town Hall where members from SEWA (Self-Employed Women's Association, started by Ela Bhat) spoke of how collaborating and working as a collective helped them become empowered- economically, politically and socially. Then there was the last panel discussion on TEAM- finding the right one & working with it to make a start-up successful.

With these destinations and role-models covered, 8000 km and 12 days covered, we were back in Mumbai on the 8th January. Like every journey, this too was one worthy of a graph. High points peaking at Elango's, Goonj, Coast Guard (Vizag) and low points dipping at Patna, Deoria and Sabarmati. Purely personal as these ratings go, I have met and interacted with Yatris whose experience were constantly climbing on a high. Be it as it may, subjectivity of what one finds inspirational or mundane, this Yatra introduced me to 450 other youngsters who travelled with me. It gave me a sneak peak into the worlds of Elango, Anshu Gupta and a SEWA worker. It gave me hot halwas on a cold day and a drizzle in hot Chennai. It gave me the joy of listening to carols on Christmas night and it engulfed me in pathos watching the urchins on New Year's. It gave me a window to see the changing landscapes of the country and it gave me a chance to be at the threshold of social entrepreneurship. It gave me a chance to dance with 500 people and it stole my luxury of sleeping cozy for many nights. It gave me friends, it gave me mentors, it gave me entertainers and it gave me teachers. The Yatra gave me a hundred other Yatris. Yatris and hence, students and teachers them all.