Sandeep Saini, 28, a captain in the army posted in Jammu and Kashmir says it was the one experience that changed his life.
A train journey covering 13 cities and over 8,000 km aims to bring the youth together
Sandeep Saini, 28, a captain in the army posted in Jammu and Kashmir says it was the one experience that changed his life.
Just over 10 years ago, Sandeep, a teenage from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, who had never been outside his hometown, travelled to Mumbai and signed up with the Jagrati Yatra - a train journey that took him to several towns, all over the country.
Organised by the Jagriti Sewa Sansathan, an NGO that promotes entrepreneurial skills, he had the opportunity to interact with the likes of Kiran Bedi, Bunker Roy, and ex-BBC India chief, Mark Tully.
If that was Saini's own "discovery of India", this December, the Jagriti Sewa Sanstan and Tata Group have tied up to organise another yatra. The first, which was held to commemorate 50 years of India's independence, this is being planned on a more ambitious scale. Shanshank Mani, chairman, Jagriti Sewa Sansthan, says, "We wish to tap the energy of our youth. We wish to inspire and motivate young Indians and hope to have this yatra every year."
This time around, 400 youngsters, including 50 facilitators, will take part; up from the 200 who participated in 1997. So far, say the organisers, 40 youth have been selected from those who applied, even as many more are expected as those interested can either register by e-mail or SMS or simply write in.
The yatra involves a journey on a train that is being customised for the trip. Swapnil Dixit, an ex-IITian works full time with Jagruti and will take charge of the entire operation, which is a logistical challenge. He says, "The train will have a common room, IT facilities and its own security arrangements." In 1997, there were only a few mobile phones, but this time, there could be swipe cards etc, he added.
Jagruti hopes to select people from Tier-1 and Tier 2 cities, including rural India. A key criterion in a chosen candidate will be his or her ability to look for solutions unique to Indian problems. Moreover, the solution will have to be scalable. Five topics for debate have been chosen that will be held at select stops along the way. These include: Health, environment, education, infrastructure and micro-finance.
The NGO hopes to get a TV anchor to moderate discussions. The Yatra also has a Jagruti geet, composed by Prasoon Joshi, who wrote the lyrics for Taare Zameen Par and Toda Pyaar, Thoda Magic
The Jagruti Sewa Sannsthan has been able to take on board several IIT-ians, many of whom will contribute their expertise to the venture. Some of those who were part of the first yatra are now on its board.
For Sandeep, the experience still abides. "When I am all by myself on duty near the LoC, my experience with the yatra comes to mind. I met people I never thought I'd meet," he says. Sandeep kept in touch with some of those on that trip, including one who is a New York-based banker. "It's an emotive issue," he adds.
With support from the Tata group, things are set to roll. Executive director, Tata Sons, R Gopalkrishan, told a Mumbai press conference - held to announce the yatra, "The greatest danger that a country can face is cynical youth. As India is a young country, the yatra will release the country's restless energy."
d_brian@dnaindia.net
For more information on the yatra log on to www.jagritiyatra.com
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