How Jagriti Yatra Started? – Delhi Leg

This entry is coming at a time when I think I am almost broke to start my start up work back. I have been at the receiving end from my mentors about the effort I have been putting in the work. In their words “ If you want to go and do jagriti, don’t fool yourself and stop saying to people that you are working on an idea”.
I just wish they are a little more supportive. If they are not…Damn them, I don’t want such strict, sick, senseless mentors !! ( Ha! love when i bash them publicly)
I just love the feeling to go along what my heart says. I think it goes for everybody. So I go on.

Before going the yatra I was trying not to be judgmental on what possibly could be the outcomes of the yatra. From the mail threads and Paritosh’s feedback I was getting a feeling that this could turn out to be “Tata JagRatta Yatra”. Songs and antaksharis and tick tick ones and twos, with whistles in between, catching attention here and there. And the way Patil sir put it afterwards, finding the extra
special good friend.

I heard that people were meeting before the yatra’s to discuss about the issues of the nation and what not! I was skeptical if people were getting too enthusiastic or was it signs of immaturity. My pea sized intellect failed to understand the reason behind their efforts. A part in me kept asking to consider the decision to reconsider the
plan.

Even more interesting things happened with my parents much before this.

I tell you these parents are so confused. The day I came I across the idea of trip, I shared it with my parents. “Do you think you have left the job to roam around India” This was my Dad who can be crudest at times. “If you think you can go on passing your jobless time like this, let me remind you are left only two months times for your deadline.” This is the deadline which he has given me for my experimentation with the life and ideas post I left the job. Mom who is much innocent added, “Bittoo I think papa is right to some extent”. Stubbornness comes at this age. Am I listening?

Now how views might change positions you never know. While filling the application my Dad kept taunting me about my inability to write such detailed answers to the yatra questions. He was very sure that I would lose my interest while writing the answers and thus the interest would wean away.

In one of the answers I wrote my role model as Mahatma Gandhi. This was true to me and had written it most genuinely. Some more answers elaborated on how Gandhi had affected my thought process and my feelings to contribute to India. Before sending my dad wanted to see the answers, and from that moment I knew it would not see the next day’s light. So before sending it to him I posted it to the website.

Ha! You mess with me, I would not even come near you. :)

Now my dad is one of the very serious gandhian. He must have got a satisfaction of the life, might not even when I got through IIT. My own son, admiring Gandhi, trying to adapt his values! Oh my god, I just did it. Luck by chance!!

Reversal of tone like this was beyond imagination. “I think you could add one more point here (unknowing that I have already sent the application) Gokhale, Gandhi’s political advisor asked him to go an India wide tour to get the feel of real India”. This was his addition to answer why I wanted to be on trip. Can you imagine it? And the moment they heard it had TATA’s name to it, woh to jaise ganga naha liye ho..

I always wanted to be on the yatra since the time I heard about it. But you know we kids can be real asses. I started thinking as to how to avoid to go on this yatra. And then I got through the application process also and all of sudden the value of the yatra decreased enormously. Pari said “saala kal apply kiye aaj ho gaya, kya mamla hai yeh”.

I think me and Paritosh both always wanted to go on the yatra, but kept avoiding from each other thinking this could look as unprofessionalism towards our startup.

We tried convincing each other that we were looking this trip as our business opportunity. We discussed that this opportunity would never be possible to market our business plan and to get more inputs on it. Paritosh came up with an idea that I would go to the trip and Pari would remain in Delhi to look after the work.

I think Pari realized in some time what blunder he had committed. Avijit on a trip to India meeting new people, entrepreneurs. Paritosh working in office, working for the start-up! I am sure this would have given him a nightmare. So next day he comes up with a logic. “Yar I have been 24 and I have never gone beyond Bombay, don’t you think thats too much!” Did I just hear what you said! I have heard people comparing their ages and their virginity before, par yeh kya!!!!

And then the last thing I remember was Pari was waiting for me on Nizammuddin station to get on the train with the widest possible grin.

The next discussions were soon started on how to smoke on the Jagriti Yatra train. I know we kids are asses!!!