Frequently asked questions for international participants
We have an additional FAQ for Indian participants that compliments this FAQ. 1. Is the train well equipped to take care of an international participant for 18 days of travel?2. What should we do in preparation for the journey if I am an international student?
3. Who is Jagriti and what is its relationship to Tata Group?
4. What is the daily routine on the train and how do we cope with language differences?
1. Is the train well equipped to take care of an international participant for 18 days of travel?
The journey is positioned as an adventure with 400 other likeminded, entrepreneurial young participants, and as such will test you physically and intellectually. However, the train is equipped with all reasonable facilities to take care of your needs, including a sick bay, and a doctor, a pantry car for food, nominal washing facilities and a public address system to keep participants informed of activities. The sleeping accommodation for participants is non-Air-conditioned coaches. Food served will be vegetarian and Indian, but we will also make provision for vegetarian continental food for some international participants on a needs basis. 2. What should we do in preparation for the journey if I am an international student?
You should be in good physical condition before travelling, including taking all the necessary jabs recommended by your country’s foreign travel recommendation. You should also take out adequate travel insurance for any untoward illness or injury. You should pack a good sleeping bag and woollens for the north of India, while in the south the temperature at that time of the year is temperate. Most important you should travel with an open mind, as the experience of travelling with 400 others from different parts of India, and with backgrounds very different to yours will challenge you physically, culturally and intellectually. 3. Who is Jagriti and what is its relationship to Tata Group?
Jagriti is a Non Governmental Organisation which focuses on skill and enterprise training for young people. It is registered under the Indians society act, and has a project office in Mumbai for the Tata Jagriti Yatra, which is an annual journey of discovery across India to look at entrepreneurial success stories. Jagriti’s target audience is the middle India, that layer of 500 Million Indians who live at $1 to $3 per day, and can find purpose through enterprise. Tata Group is the title sponsor of the Tata Jagriti Yatra 2008. 4. What is the daily routine on the train and how do we cope with language differences?
The daily routine on the train will revolve around visiting entrepreneurial role models of India, and be inspired by interacting with them. This will involve travelling by night between destinations, and going by bus to the local place to interact with the entrepreneurial role model or the institution they have created. English and Hindi are two of the main languages that will be spoken on the train. However, there will be a limited group of participants who are not fluent in both these languages. This remains a challenge as experienced in the previous journey. However, participants managed to converse with each other in these two languages, where required getting things translated through an intermediary.