Yatrizine - February, 2011
Dear Yatris,We did it! Tata Jagriti Yatra completed its 3rd journey across India! 400 Yatris, selected out of a staggering 20,000 registrations discovered India and themselves through another epic journey.
As always, there were a few hiccups along the way (the train missing the Tilonia station was a memorable one) but as always, the team pulled through and got everything back on track. The Yatris proved yet again, that when we all share a common vision, hardships become secondary to the learning that emerges from them.
Each journey has had a different context. In 2008, the Yatra embarked against the backdrop of the November terror attacks in Mumbai. In 2009, there was a period of financial uncertainty, and the need for enterprise became even more critical. In 2010, we saw corruption scams explode across the country in a scale that angered and shamed us all. Each time, the Yatris set off on the journey with a common resolve to change the country, for the better.
The TJY Alumni now have an exciting new horizon in the form of JEN which has been set up to support alumni to implement the lessons of enterprise-led-development. We look forward to your active support in helping us shape this next horizon of Jagriti. Within this exclusive network of over 1200 Yatris, facilitators and role models - the possibilities are endless! As always we are deeply grateful to our dedicated network of awareness ambassadors across India who continue their great work in spreading the word and are always looking for more ambassadors from the Yatri community to join.
If you have suggestions, ideas or contributions, or if you want to participate please feel free to write to us.
- In Search of Hope
- Yatra Saar
- Biz-Gyan-Tree
- Awareness Campaign
- Yatri Speak
- Thanks to all our Partners
IN SEARCH OF HOPE
The following article was written by Shashank Mani before this year's Yatra. It captures the mood of the journey by focus-ing on hope and integrity in the midst of an feeling of despondency and falling ethical standards.
Hope is the locomotive of a young nation. It drives the passion of its young citizens. It gives them the energy to excel and build a country of substance. In its absence cynicism and corruption take hold; in its presence the future gets lit up by the energy of citizens moving in one direction.
Then why seek an audience with hope in a country growing at 8% per annum? Surely hope must be knocking at each and every door of this young country.
I wish that were true.
Our country has a full 200 districts that are in the grip of Maoists. Our nation has the largest number of malnourished children in the world. Our land has an army of Babus waiting to stamp down any green shoots of creativity and innovation that want to sprout. A country where the biggest sporting event in recent times, specifically designed to inspire youth, leads by showcasing corruption. A nation where China is making increasingly belligerent noises from across the Himalayas. An untainted military, once the north star of integrity gets shaken up by a building scam. The durbar in Delhi continues as a temple of sycophancy. Our leaders ignore the real India, as they confabulate in the lush green lawns of Luteyns Delhi. Local satraps in provinces keen on short term electoral gains ignore the long term good of the state and the country.
Our land, as young as any on the planet, should be buzzing with hope, but hope has gone missing.
This is what we hear at the start of a journey where 400 young people set out in search of hope. For hope does reside in the real India. And it is not the wooly, loose construct that the word implies. It is concrete, it is anchored in integrity and hard work, and it is being given shape through enterprise. In the end it has the ability to lift our nation; to inspire, even now.
That hope shines through in the work of those 15 social and economic entrepreneurs building India, who are visited in the journey. These 15 role models represent thousands of others who are helping create a new India as we speak. Their work and the story of their lives awaken a hidden spark in each of the participants who sets out on this search.
These participants are screened from 15,000 applicants to see if they have what it takes to propel India forward. Our search party of 400 sets out to travel the country in a special train for 9,000 kilometers over 18 days. A majority come from small towns and villages, that 'middle India' that Prahlad's pyramid failed to highlight. An India that is 600 million strong, lives between Rs 40 - Rs 120 per day but is often bereft of purpose and employment. This India is remarkably young, it has energy, often has food on the table and a roof over their head, yet they remain unemployed bereft of hope. As our searchers mix with fellow travelers in their age group of 20-25 years, shepherded by 50 odd facilitators who are older, they hear the stories of these role models. Hope stirs.
Over the 18 days they visit individuals like Rangaswamy Elango, in Kuthambakkam village, a Sar panch who left his engineering job in an urban area to inspire a village that was all but broken. Broken by alcoholism, issues of caste segregation, lack of economic opportunities. Today Kutumbakkam is a must-see for those looking at models of rural regeneration. The search for hope takes them to the other end of India, in the deepest forests of Orissa. Here they meet Joe Madiath, a Howard Roark like figure who has spent close to 30 years of his life bringing clean water, energy and sanitation through Gram Vikas to the interiors of Orissa. Joe insists that each toilet constructed by villagers should have running water; else the life of the women at home becomes worse than before as she fetches water for the family. Hope shines brightly in the half blind eyes of patients at the Aravind Eye Care in Madurai, a hospital which, while driven by the spiritual values of Sri Aurobindo, makes 40% earnings before depreciation, while providing free eye care to thousands every year. Hope is echoed in the words of the redoubtable Rama Devi of Okhai Mandal, near Tata's factory in Mithapur, as she mobilizes the women of that area to manufacture handicrafts under one brand name and create lives of dignity. Hope, and dignity, is evident in the un-tutored artisan who builds the community hall in Tilonia, where Bunker Roy has created an oasis of prosperity; but on their own, sustainable terms.
The conversations in the train take a distinctly positive turn as the train corners Jamshedpur on its third and final leg towards Mumbai. Having seen 2/3rd of the role models, and traversing a giant U of the country that touched Kanyakumari from Mumbai, the search is in full swing. Cynicism and half empty glass view of the world starts receding, the cup fills to the brim with ideas and idealism.
But, they often ask, when we get back home, the reality of India will engulf us again. This train of awakening may show the path of hope and idealism, but surely the rest of India is waiting to drown us in negative bylines and the furtive look of a bureaucrat asking for his cut. This is where the search ends and the disciplined hard work of enterprise building begins. Armed with practical examples of how social and economic enterprises have been built by these 15 odd visionaries, this group starts finding team members who can come together to start and scale up an enterprise. Without the discipline required to convert purpose into long term enterprise, the search would be reduced to another round of slogans, or complaints. And we know there is enough of that already. With discipline, a likeminded team and mentoring and coaching, the search can become a lifelong journey of enterprise led development for these participants. At the start of the third and final leg, in a small village in Deoria district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, they start understanding what would take to create an enterprise that helps create sustainable solutions in a rural setting. The focus is on areas like energy, health, agro industries etc. Some teams return to Deoria after a couple of months to elaborate on their plan and learn in the process. Others think of starting something in their own chosen areas.
This journey of Enterprise Led Development, or Udyam Janit Vikas is slowly turning into a movement. It can provide young Indians a positive outlet for their energies, provide employment for them and create jobs for many others. Collectively this will lead to sustainable development that is so needed in the smaller towns and villages where this movement has to focus. The group consists of 40% women participants, who are natural creators and catalysts for change. The act of the journey by these 400 is broadcast to millions of others through debates on issues relating to enterprise, held in the midst of the real India. A debate took place in Kutumbakam village, with cattle and bullock carts competing for the camera's attention, as much as senior panelists.
Collectively, those 1,000 searchers who have taken part in the last three journeys have formed a deep network of trust. Each year 400 additional members will be added. Trust has the power to multiply their energies, bring about collaboration and create a forum for others to be inspired. To give them practical training, mentorship and often protection and shelter from an insensitive system, four Institutes of Enterprise are on the anvil in the four cardinal directions of India. Each institute intends to recognize local language; cultural variations in the way enterprises are created and scaled up in this country. After all a co-operative as a model of enterprise has worked in Western India, but failed to take off in the North.
Above all the philosophy, technique and discipline of Udyam Janit Vikas has a simple rationale. Young people live on purpose and hope. If they connect with it, and take forward their passions through it, a positive destiny for India is assured. If not, then India will stumble and possibly fall as those focusing only on growth rates will realize that as a nation we have not awakened the talents of our underprivileged youth.
Can you contribute? Yes, provided you can to shift your mindset. Don't look at the underprivileged of India as recipient of your charity. That destroys the spark of self generated hope. Give to this movement the benefit of your experience in enterprise. Fund young participants, provide mentorship and coaching. Grace them with the wisdom of your integrity. Give them the fuel of your time. Travel the journey as facilitators (www.jagritiyatra.com). Encourage young participants from middle India to apply. Pick an area of your own where Udyam Janit Vikas can flourish. Give back, but in a way that connects with your talents and inspires the youth of India.
Above all don't give up hope.
Send your comments to the author
Hope is the locomotive of a young nation. It drives the passion of its young citizens. It gives them the energy to excel and build a country of substance. In its absence cynicism and corruption take hold; in its presence the future gets lit up by the energy of citizens moving in one direction.
Then why seek an audience with hope in a country growing at 8% per annum? Surely hope must be knocking at each and every door of this young country.
I wish that were true.
Our country has a full 200 districts that are in the grip of Maoists. Our nation has the largest number of malnourished children in the world. Our land has an army of Babus waiting to stamp down any green shoots of creativity and innovation that want to sprout. A country where the biggest sporting event in recent times, specifically designed to inspire youth, leads by showcasing corruption. A nation where China is making increasingly belligerent noises from across the Himalayas. An untainted military, once the north star of integrity gets shaken up by a building scam. The durbar in Delhi continues as a temple of sycophancy. Our leaders ignore the real India, as they confabulate in the lush green lawns of Luteyns Delhi. Local satraps in provinces keen on short term electoral gains ignore the long term good of the state and the country.
Our land, as young as any on the planet, should be buzzing with hope, but hope has gone missing.
This is what we hear at the start of a journey where 400 young people set out in search of hope. For hope does reside in the real India. And it is not the wooly, loose construct that the word implies. It is concrete, it is anchored in integrity and hard work, and it is being given shape through enterprise. In the end it has the ability to lift our nation; to inspire, even now.
That hope shines through in the work of those 15 social and economic entrepreneurs building India, who are visited in the journey. These 15 role models represent thousands of others who are helping create a new India as we speak. Their work and the story of their lives awaken a hidden spark in each of the participants who sets out on this search.
These participants are screened from 15,000 applicants to see if they have what it takes to propel India forward. Our search party of 400 sets out to travel the country in a special train for 9,000 kilometers over 18 days. A majority come from small towns and villages, that 'middle India' that Prahlad's pyramid failed to highlight. An India that is 600 million strong, lives between Rs 40 - Rs 120 per day but is often bereft of purpose and employment. This India is remarkably young, it has energy, often has food on the table and a roof over their head, yet they remain unemployed bereft of hope. As our searchers mix with fellow travelers in their age group of 20-25 years, shepherded by 50 odd facilitators who are older, they hear the stories of these role models. Hope stirs.
Over the 18 days they visit individuals like Rangaswamy Elango, in Kuthambakkam village, a Sar panch who left his engineering job in an urban area to inspire a village that was all but broken. Broken by alcoholism, issues of caste segregation, lack of economic opportunities. Today Kutumbakkam is a must-see for those looking at models of rural regeneration. The search for hope takes them to the other end of India, in the deepest forests of Orissa. Here they meet Joe Madiath, a Howard Roark like figure who has spent close to 30 years of his life bringing clean water, energy and sanitation through Gram Vikas to the interiors of Orissa. Joe insists that each toilet constructed by villagers should have running water; else the life of the women at home becomes worse than before as she fetches water for the family. Hope shines brightly in the half blind eyes of patients at the Aravind Eye Care in Madurai, a hospital which, while driven by the spiritual values of Sri Aurobindo, makes 40% earnings before depreciation, while providing free eye care to thousands every year. Hope is echoed in the words of the redoubtable Rama Devi of Okhai Mandal, near Tata's factory in Mithapur, as she mobilizes the women of that area to manufacture handicrafts under one brand name and create lives of dignity. Hope, and dignity, is evident in the un-tutored artisan who builds the community hall in Tilonia, where Bunker Roy has created an oasis of prosperity; but on their own, sustainable terms.
The conversations in the train take a distinctly positive turn as the train corners Jamshedpur on its third and final leg towards Mumbai. Having seen 2/3rd of the role models, and traversing a giant U of the country that touched Kanyakumari from Mumbai, the search is in full swing. Cynicism and half empty glass view of the world starts receding, the cup fills to the brim with ideas and idealism.
This journey of Enterprise Led Development, or Udyam Janit Vikas is slowly turning into a movement. It can provide young Indians a positive outlet for their energies, provide employment for them and create jobs for many others. Collectively this will lead to sustainable development that is so needed in the smaller towns and villages where this movement has to focus. The group consists of 40% women participants, who are natural creators and catalysts for change. The act of the journey by these 400 is broadcast to millions of others through debates on issues relating to enterprise, held in the midst of the real India. A debate took place in Kutumbakam village, with cattle and bullock carts competing for the camera's attention, as much as senior panelists.
Collectively, those 1,000 searchers who have taken part in the last three journeys have formed a deep network of trust. Each year 400 additional members will be added. Trust has the power to multiply their energies, bring about collaboration and create a forum for others to be inspired. To give them practical training, mentorship and often protection and shelter from an insensitive system, four Institutes of Enterprise are on the anvil in the four cardinal directions of India. Each institute intends to recognize local language; cultural variations in the way enterprises are created and scaled up in this country. After all a co-operative as a model of enterprise has worked in Western India, but failed to take off in the North.
Above all the philosophy, technique and discipline of Udyam Janit Vikas has a simple rationale. Young people live on purpose and hope. If they connect with it, and take forward their passions through it, a positive destiny for India is assured. If not, then India will stumble and possibly fall as those focusing only on growth rates will realize that as a nation we have not awakened the talents of our underprivileged youth.
Can you contribute? Yes, provided you can to shift your mindset. Don't look at the underprivileged of India as recipient of your charity. That destroys the spark of self generated hope. Give to this movement the benefit of your experience in enterprise. Fund young participants, provide mentorship and coaching. Grace them with the wisdom of your integrity. Give them the fuel of your time. Travel the journey as facilitators (www.jagritiyatra.com). Encourage young participants from middle India to apply. Pick an area of your own where Udyam Janit Vikas can flourish. Give back, but in a way that connects with your talents and inspires the youth of India.
Above all don't give up hope.
Send your comments to the author
YATRA SAAR
The synthesis report for TJY 2010 - Yatra Saar - which is an attempt to capture all the learnings of the Yatra is available for download here. This report will enable you understand what happened during the Yatra and discover its impact on the Yatri community. It consolidates the intent, outcome and learnings from TJY 2010. Pleae promote it among your friends.
BIZ-GYAN-TREE
The Biz-Gyan-Tree team is getting ready for their journey back to the Banyan tree from 25th Feb for a 10 day stint. Seven selected groups from TJY 2010 will go back, but other interested Yatris from TJY 2010 who want to accompany them are also welcome. Should you wish to take part kindly send your names to Ashutosh
AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
It's great to see the awareness campaign for the next Yatra taking off at such a speed in various parts of the country just after a few days of the completion of TJY 2010. Especially the press meets which are being organised all across the country - Nasik, Pune, Allahabad, Varanasi, Dhanbad, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Ranchi and many other cities and towns - are fast becoming a great channel of awareness. Thanks to all the Yatris involved in organising these meets. You can see some of the articles here.
If you wish to organise one in your town, please get in touch with Ritesh Garg or Surya Adavi
If you wish to organise one in your town, please get in touch with Ritesh Garg or Surya Adavi
YATRI SPEAK
Do you have a poem, sketch or story you'd like to share with us? Send it over and you can get featured here! In this issue, we have Ayush Bansal's article "Transformation" that he penned down while on the train. Ayush is a final year student at ICFAI Business School,Gurgaon. He joined the Yatra to interact with 400 similar minds and also to explore the Real India. Read on!
We have always known that changing one's habit is very difficult but in Tata Jagriti Yatra we learned how some small things can transform us to what we have always IGNORED to be. It was extremely difficult to do it before and that one thing happen which divides your life into 2 parts, one before the event and one after that.
I can see the transformation in many Yatris on board, the dividing line is being created by Tata Jagriti Yatra, which is trans-forming many into what they were before, and what they will be in future, a good human being who aspires to create a social impact, who will live life for others.
Small things like avoiding litter, moving on a general class for 18 days with no complains, adhering to the time schedule, synchronizing with the other 399 yatris. I see transformation in me when I sleep on the same platform which once seem to be a dirty place, when I can use a hard bag as a pillow, when I do not litter around and make sure to throw everything in a dustbin, even if it's thrown by someone else.
This small change in your habit seems to be tiny but it's actually very tough to change such habits which have been ac-quired by us from the time we are born. Each one of 400 Yatri are transforming, getting together so that when they complete 18 days journey, they go out to there respective village/town/city and transform it into a better place, which in result will transform India to a better country.
Can we transform India into what it was before TJY happened to us, and what it will be in future? My answer is 'Yes We Can'.
Send in something about yourself - likes, ambitions and your experiences - to us. The best ones will get featured here in the future newsletters!
We have always known that changing one's habit is very difficult but in Tata Jagriti Yatra we learned how some small things can transform us to what we have always IGNORED to be. It was extremely difficult to do it before and that one thing happen which divides your life into 2 parts, one before the event and one after that.
I can see the transformation in many Yatris on board, the dividing line is being created by Tata Jagriti Yatra, which is trans-forming many into what they were before, and what they will be in future, a good human being who aspires to create a social impact, who will live life for others.
Small things like avoiding litter, moving on a general class for 18 days with no complains, adhering to the time schedule, synchronizing with the other 399 yatris. I see transformation in me when I sleep on the same platform which once seem to be a dirty place, when I can use a hard bag as a pillow, when I do not litter around and make sure to throw everything in a dustbin, even if it's thrown by someone else.
This small change in your habit seems to be tiny but it's actually very tough to change such habits which have been ac-quired by us from the time we are born. Each one of 400 Yatri are transforming, getting together so that when they complete 18 days journey, they go out to there respective village/town/city and transform it into a better place, which in result will transform India to a better country.
Can we transform India into what it was before TJY happened to us, and what it will be in future? My answer is 'Yes We Can'.
Send in something about yourself - likes, ambitions and your experiences - to us. The best ones will get featured here in the future newsletters!
THANKS TO ALL OUR PARTNERS
Tata Jagriti Yatra is the result of generous contributions and years of hard work by the following organisations. We are grateful to the corporates and NGOs that are actively supporting the cause of Enterprise Led Development. We thank all our partners and seek a long term collaboration in carrying this journey forward!
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