I remember those days - 10 years back, when I was studying for my chartered accountancy, little aware of what was happening in the society around me. I stumbled upon the project office of this project- Azad Bharat Rail Yatra in September 1997, where I had gone down to install a piece of accounting solution. That day was a turning phase in my life and I am sure this yatra had a significant change in lives of all the yatris. An experience that changed our thought processes - more from self-centered thinking to a passion for the real India and its people.

I met up with Shashank, Gauri and Sharma Uncle - it all seemed strange to me on the first day, when I was asked if I would like to work on this interesting project. A group of people trying to do something I had never heard of - taking the Indian youth on a train journey for 22 days ! From that day, I did not attend my office for the next 4 months or so [was just hoping that I wouldn't be kicked out of my chartered accountancy studies] and took over the project office for the Yatra. While I was not as lucky as the other Yatris who had a chance to be on the train, this Yatra gave me some excellent project management experience and a chance to meet the youth with heterogeneous background from all across India.

Organising this Yatra was no easy deal and a whole team of volunteers were dedicated almost 18-20 hours a day to make it happen. What made us all take those efforts ? It was probably a hidden desire within each of us - to be able to do something for the nation. I am sure every citizen of this country has that desire, but does not get a right channel to work towards it.

The first yatra was in 1997, after which all the participants were dispersed across the globe, busy with their professional lives, but the flame never died. Here is a bunch of the ex-Yatris who want to do it again in 2007. The world is a global village in the real sense - people co-ordinating across time-zones over the internet to make it happen.

Only a few months more to go and a lot to be done - will we succeed ?

Back home, in the heart of India it is nearly summer. The air is redolent with the heady potpourri of mango and citrus blossoms, roses and the smell of parched earth drenched with unseasonal spring rain. The tepid sunshine has given way to the smouldering heat of early summer across most parts of India. I heard the incessant call of a lone “brainfever bird” in the far distance when I spoke to my mum on the phone this evening. Waves of nostalgia wash over me. The call of the Indian hawk cuckoo has long been a harbinger of summer, the long hard toil of exam time and the promise of a long fruitful summer ahead packed with adventure and new discoveries.

Here in London, the cherry blossom still clings to the branches and the azure skies hold the gleeful promise of a hot summer. It will be an eventful summer-like the summers of my childhood. We have an ambitious project at hand. It will take commitment, determination and tenacious will power to nurture it to fruition. Each one of us on the organizing committee is currently battling tight personal deadlines- Kaustav, Mrigank and Milind are working hard to meet project deadlines, Karthik and I work towards finishing our Ph.D theses, Mohit has just relocated to the Big Apple from Gurgaon, Purva has regular patients clamouring for her attention…and despite all these challenges, we all strive to committing our time towards the Yatra.

The Yatra will be an incredible train journey. 300 people, 17 cities across the length and breadth of India, scores of “heroes” who will inspire and challenge us to devise a manifesto for change and find methods to chanelise those dreams into action. The Yatra will touch the lives of every participant in infinite ways just like the Azad Bharat Rail Yatra in 1997 coloured my view of India and spurred me on to contribute my miniscule share to highlight its conservation successes in the global arena. The tasks ahead may seem a trifle daunting but we are steadfast in our goal. We believe in “ The Indian Dream” and we cant wait to set off on this great journey of discovery with friends, colleagues and fellow believers. Yes, it will be a very busy summer ahead.

Greetings, fellow bloggers. Preparations for our first round of pitches to potential funders is under way. This is a crucial time for the yatra. Our aims it to present our initial pitch documents and hold two talks to potential individual sponsors on the 14th of April at a venue in central London, followed by a second round of presentations to more individuals on the 21st of April. Our intention, during these presentations, is to talk about our vision, intent and ultimate aims. During the presentations, we will be talking about why we’re doing the yatra, when the journey will start, where the journey will go, who the people are we’re going to meet along the way and details about the Jagriti institute we hope to set up from the proceeds raised during the yatra.

If you’re an individual who wishes to contribute to positive change in the future of India’s development and are interested in finding out more about the yatra and how you can help us, then please contact us in London.

Well, after days and days of planning, this is the first Blog that I’m writing in my life and as I pen down these words I can’t believe that I’m actually writing a Blog. Primarily, there were two reasons for my not being a blogger - firstly I wasn’t sure of the whole concept and secondly working in television means being on duty twenty four seven.

Now that I have decided to take the plunge, I wanted to go back ten years down the line and start with a topic which we are all familiar with. And those who were a part of the Azad Bharat Rail Yatra then were the fortunate few to witness this change a decade ago itself.

What was a need for Shashank and team then will now be implemented by the Indian Railways to earn a profit.

Well I am talking about outdoor advertisement on Trains. Who would have ever thought that in 1997 (10 years ago) what we knew as the “Lal Dibba” of Indian Railways would look colourful with tag lines of different companies. In 1997 very few people had seen a chartered train with logos of Max Touch, Colgate, Coca Cola…. But today things are different. What was a common sight
just on chartered trains will also be a part of the regular passenger trains running across the country. Isn’t India changing?

Today, I’m proud to be a part of the Jagriti Yatra. India is changing for the good and I feel that this Yatra will help bring out an entrepreneur in each person.