We're into the last week of 2019, and as we bid adieu to the year that was filled with highs and lows, I am to embark on one of the most exciting journeys in my life so far!
15 days in a specially charted train, with more than 500 like minded youngsters out to explore Incredible India on a journey of a lifetime! As the saying goes, to seek to 'build India through enterprise'!
15 days in a specially charted train, with more than 500 like minded youngsters out to explore Incredible India on a journey of a lifetime! As the saying goes, to seek to 'build India through enterprise'!
What the Jagriti Yatra is, and what its' meant to do is a subject that many have touched upon and in the age of information that we're living in with technology rampart in every corner of our lives, details about it aren't scares. Simply put, It is a 15-day long, national train journey that will take the participant 8000 kilometers across the length and breadth of India, to understand and build the India of smaller towns and villages through enterprise.
The Train would travel from Mumbai, through the different places highlighted on the map and would circle back to Mumbai after 15 days. At every stop, there would be field visits and discussions and activities planned. There would be mentorship sessions and activities and immersion programs aboard the train as well.
Around 500 youngsters, are selected from thousands of applicants to join the Yatra every year, with the goal of creating awareness and start a movement of 'building India through enterprise'. The Yatri will meet role models, change-makers, leaders that started out small and made a difference to thousands of lives. I believe I can benefit hugely from such an exposure and as only the 2nd student from Manipal to get selected into this program, I believe my learnings from there could be applied and used to better equip me in my activities for the future.
The story of how I got introduced to and got into the program is quite an interesting one. Since I began this blog with an intent to introduce the Yatra, and then decided against it midway, choosing to spread it over subsequent blogs as and when I get to learn more first hand, I might as well go ahead with this story.
It was the year 2017. A time when I was 2 years younger and 30 kilograms lighter... Being a very active #DaanUtsav Volunteer, we had gone to attend a 2-day National Meet in ISB Hyderabad where we were to present, discuss and brainstorm over ideas to celebrate the National Festival of Giving. I crashed the night at my friend and senior, Varun Keri's place in Hyderabad where we chatted the night about 'life and beyond' - you know, the usual stuff. And somehow, we ended up with Jagriti Yatra.
The Train would travel from Mumbai, through the different places highlighted on the map and would circle back to Mumbai after 15 days. At every stop, there would be field visits and discussions and activities planned. There would be mentorship sessions and activities and immersion programs aboard the train as well.
Around 500 youngsters, are selected from thousands of applicants to join the Yatra every year, with the goal of creating awareness and start a movement of 'building India through enterprise'. The Yatri will meet role models, change-makers, leaders that started out small and made a difference to thousands of lives. I believe I can benefit hugely from such an exposure and as only the 2nd student from Manipal to get selected into this program, I believe my learnings from there could be applied and used to better equip me in my activities for the future.
The story of how I got introduced to and got into the program is quite an interesting one. Since I began this blog with an intent to introduce the Yatra, and then decided against it midway, choosing to spread it over subsequent blogs as and when I get to learn more first hand, I might as well go ahead with this story.
It was the year 2017. A time when I was 2 years younger and 30 kilograms lighter... Being a very active #DaanUtsav Volunteer, we had gone to attend a 2-day National Meet in ISB Hyderabad where we were to present, discuss and brainstorm over ideas to celebrate the National Festival of Giving. I crashed the night at my friend and senior, Varun Keri's place in Hyderabad where we chatted the night about 'life and beyond' - you know, the usual stuff. And somehow, we ended up with Jagriti Yatra.
"I think it'd be perfect for you," I still remember him saying. "One of my acquaintances has gone and has nothing but good things to say about it!"
Now, I'm a person who gets sold by anything and everything, and then loses interest just as fast, but the idea of the Yatra. 8000 kilometers on a train with 500 others held on. It stayed at the back of my head and every now and then, I found myself looking at the website or the facebook page, making a mental note to register as soon as I graduate.
Skipping ahead a couple of years, much closer to today, mid 2019, I guess... I register for the Yatra and await the results. This year was quite a deviant from the previous years as for some reason, the first shortlist came way later in around October. And the wait from registration to the shortlist was, oh so tedious! I can't imagine the number of times I'd eaten Samartha's head off asking about the shortlist and the yatra and somesuch...
Samartha, was a batchmate who'd been on the 2018 Yatra and is now pursuing his MBA at NITK Surathkal. Being the first from the Udupi-Mangaluru area to get selected and go on the Yatra he had taken up the responsibility of being the Jagriti Ambassador for the districts to get more students to be part of the experience. I'd reached out to him after coming to know from mutual friends about his Yatra and I thought it'd do me some good getting acquainted with him. Since then, we've become very good friends, but I digress.
Sidenote, my laptop discharged right at this moment and I lost my 'train' of thought... I'll get back to this maybe in subsequent blogs...
So, it's around 11 in the morning now... I still haven't begun packing. Rahul has already reached Mumbai and is sightseeing. The idiot! My train is at 3 later today and I'll reach Mumbai early tomorrow morning just in time for the orientation at TISS!
I'll be blogging at midnight today resuming from where I left off...
Cheers!
Now, I'm a person who gets sold by anything and everything, and then loses interest just as fast, but the idea of the Yatra. 8000 kilometers on a train with 500 others held on. It stayed at the back of my head and every now and then, I found myself looking at the website or the facebook page, making a mental note to register as soon as I graduate.
Skipping ahead a couple of years, much closer to today, mid 2019, I guess... I register for the Yatra and await the results. This year was quite a deviant from the previous years as for some reason, the first shortlist came way later in around October. And the wait from registration to the shortlist was, oh so tedious! I can't imagine the number of times I'd eaten Samartha's head off asking about the shortlist and the yatra and somesuch...
Samartha, was a batchmate who'd been on the 2018 Yatra and is now pursuing his MBA at NITK Surathkal. Being the first from the Udupi-Mangaluru area to get selected and go on the Yatra he had taken up the responsibility of being the Jagriti Ambassador for the districts to get more students to be part of the experience. I'd reached out to him after coming to know from mutual friends about his Yatra and I thought it'd do me some good getting acquainted with him. Since then, we've become very good friends, but I digress.
Sidenote, my laptop discharged right at this moment and I lost my 'train' of thought... I'll get back to this maybe in subsequent blogs...
So, it's around 11 in the morning now... I still haven't begun packing. Rahul has already reached Mumbai and is sightseeing. The idiot! My train is at 3 later today and I'll reach Mumbai early tomorrow morning just in time for the orientation at TISS!
I'll be blogging at midnight today resuming from where I left off...
Cheers!