Tata Jagriti Yatra’08 – The Begining

TJY - Day 0

The day started even before the previous one ended. It was almost 0100 Hrs by the time that delicious dinner was served. And it was half past 2 when I embraced that sweet angel called sleep (or should I say, sleep embraced me!). It was barely a slumber of 2 hrs at the end of which I woke up with surprisingly no effort for there is something huge that I knew was in store for me for the rest of the day. After almost three hours, IIT Powai Convocation Hall looked quite welcoming and reminded me why and when I happened to spend some time in the very same Hall in May 2005. I don’t exactly remember what happened back then (in 2005) but this time it’s definitely altogether different scene that I am part of. Just when all those bright faces are showing up with all those back-packs and assuring parents (in case of girls!), I started to remember how it all started for me.

That issue of Tata World Newsletter, which I would never have opened if not for some boredom, showed Tata Jagriti Yatra’08 as its fist article. Yet it would have easily gone unnoticed if not for my patience to find my lost user name and password for Tata World website. That was when I registered on Jagriti Yatra website. It would still have gone past if not the profiles of some of the Team Members that I chose to check on that last weekend of November. Impressed, I was. I don’t remember the date (either 30^th Nov or 1^st Dec) but I do remember filling up that application form and sending it. That’s when I forgot about it and was happily enjoying my home-going plans for New Year. Receiving confirmation from Yatra organizers, subsequent change of my plans and heading Mumbai was rest of the history.

With someone asking what day it was, I stopped looking blankly (into the past) and returned to fondly  see the bunch of people around me. ‘Dude, what day is today?’ – Mr. X was asking Mr. Y again. ‘What day? Are you kidding me? It’s Wednesday, 24th December, 2008 dammit! Not just an ordinary Wednesday, though’ – Just when I was about to start saying that, I heard someone calling ‘Umesh‘. Well it’s not Umesh, they were looking for some other -esh. Although I was present in the midst of such pandemonium with no comprehensive anticipations, it was amazing to see so many similar minded young guns on a common platform of change. That mere idea of having to spend next 3 odd weeks with all those absolute strangers yet so familiar looking people itself was exhilarating beyond measure. Just as my mouth was widening more and more with these contemplations, I was pushed gently in to the line to get sorted in to the groups. It was A-1.

With little yelling and some pointing, we could at last summon almost all the A group Yatris (and a facilitator, of course) together and that’s where another journey started even before the actual one commenced. With barely anything in my expectations, I was wide open to take anything and everything that comes out of this journey and I started learning stuff the moment I witnessed difficulties in keeping 300 folks in an organized way.

The Convocation Hall of IIT Powai became a venue for the first gathering of all the Yatris (that’s what all of us were called since then) and all that was spoken was truly inviting. After that introductory instructions by Raj and Co., four ladies (including the President Jyothi Naik) from Sri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad were called upon to the stage and were introduced as our first role model. It was unknown to me then that I would be spending much more time talking and thinking about these ladies in next 3-4 days. With necessary briefing given, we were then transported in buses to Ravindra Natya Mandir where we met our second role model for the day – Manish Tiwari of Dabbawallahs.  As the man behind Mumbai’s (or Dare I say, India’s?) most simple yet successful business captivated each and everyone in the Hall with his compelling talk for almost 25 minutes which emphasized the importance of understanding ground realities. With that evening truly belonging to Mr. Tiwari’s (Dabbawallah’s) trademark dress, cap and occasionally thrown harsh truths keeping audience at the edge of their seats, his talk ended evoking deafening standing ovation. Dinner was followed by Gauri’s excellent way of making everyone dance to the tunes of TJY Anthem (Yaaro Chalon…). Group gatherings were happening even without any instruction and we spent some quality time in the same premises for more than half-an-hour. While the group members slowly started to commune, all of us then reached Mumbai Central Railway Station at around 2230 Hrs where The Train was supposed to come. It was later known to us that while we were merrily practicing dance steps at Ravindra Natya Mandir that evening, a team (led by Col. Patil) was putting their best efforts to keep The Train fit for travel.

As The Train approached on to the platform (no. 5), everyone roared in to the air making the whole atmosphere spectacularly turbulent. We managed to get in to one of the coaches minutes after The Train stopped on the platform. With little difficulty, we were kinda settled in The Train and it was about to start. Each and everyone on the Train were about to start their 18 day journey that was going to take all of them in to those corners of India which were seldom touched. Everybody was about to start the journey of awakening while it was time to sleep for many out there. Half past eleven on 24^th day of December of 2008, The Train started moving.

P.S: I lost my Yatra diary and there’s ‘Umesh’s‘ written on it. If, by any chance, any of the fellow yatris finds it in his/her luggage, kindly let me know. Courier charges will be duly paid .

P.P.S: In absence of my Yatra diary, it is becoming slightly difficult to remember things that I wanted to write about and hence I will be posting my Web Logs very irregularly. Besides, I got injured and my left hand now is incapable of typing. So, few more unwanted but unavoidable delays.

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