The new India can be build only if you have the wisdom to explore the India of small towns and villages. Shashank Mani Tripathi
Jagriti Yatra began in 2008, & the pioneer of this innovative concept wa Mr. Shashank Mani Tripathi. He believes that a new India cannot be built sitting at home. One needs to travel & explore rural towns and villages to build new India through enterprise.
Ted Talk, where Mr. Shashank shares underlying thoughts behind starting the Jagriti Yatra ..
Jagriti Yatra takes about 500 young people in their early to mid 20's on a transformational journey. A journey of expert talks, introducing them to entrepreneurs & their reverential stories, learning through project, fun filled activities, networking and more. It is a 8000kms,
15 days journey through Indian towns. Jagriti Yatra allows the travelers to join either as a participant or a facilitator if they are experienced and would like to lead a team.
When I came across the information on Jagriti Yatra I applied as a facilitator, though I couldn't join I went through the selection process which is fairly competitive. Selection is not based on education alone, it is ensured that the intent and interest of an applicant are aligned to the set purpose of yatra , and that it will be a beneficial journey altogether.
An icebreaker ( Day 1- Jagritri Yatra) video on youtube by 'The Lallantop' that covered Jagriti Yatra 2019.
Jagriti Yatra starts at Mumbai ,Maharashtra , goes through various towns of India and ends at Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad. During the course of Yatra, participants are introduced to the rural enterprise sector of India in different industries like IT, Healthcare, Education, Arts. It helps the youth, the future, to understand India at its very core. If they aspire to be the change makers and build a new India thriving of enterprises, Jagriti Yatra serves as a means for them to organize their thoughts and plan ahead to fulfill their dreams. During these 15 days, along with lectures and projects, fun & creative activities gives them ample time to connect socially as well.
I got to speak with Mr. Naresh Sijapati who is a 2016 Yatri and currently the brand ambassador for Jagriti Yatra. He is the founder of NGO Panah Foundation that works for education, skill development and betterment of children of migrant laborers. When he joined the yatra , he had only been a year into the foundation. He was greatly benefited by the yatra during this intial phase, the support he received and network that he built. During the Yatra , he was particularly impressed by the story of Goonj.
Goonj, headquartered in Delhi was founded by Mr. Anshu Gupta in 1998 who left his corporate job and became a social entrepreneur. He is popularly known as the clothing man. 'Goonj has since become a mass movement for the recycling and reuse of colossal amounts of surplus clothing and other household goods – from India’s rich to its poorest communities.' (1)
Naresh's journey is a story of inspiration in itself, from being a migrant laborer's son he went to becoming a college graduate despite difficulties and extreme poverty. He wanted to help other migrants like him, which laid the foundation of his NGO Panah. 'I realized that I am lucky to have reached here. And all this has been possible because of the education and the right exposure I got inspite of my hardships. This ignited the desire in me to share what I have received and create opportunities for others like me. So I borrowed money and opened a center at Memco for teaching children of migrants and other social service for the laborers. My mission is that Every labour should become a smart labour.' (2)
It is difficult to end this blog since it really is the beginning! A call to the youth, let this journey be your awakening...'the jagriti yatra'
References:
Blog by Naresh Sijapati
Yatra images are copyrighted to Jagriti Yatra
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