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.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 12th, 2007 at 12:55 am and is filed under India, Jagriti Yatra. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.