Tata Jagriti Yatra 2009

Four hundred in number on a journey they embarked
External and internal is what it encompassed

Three leaders at the helm led the force
Solidly backed by their second in line commanders josh

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”
Across India’s four corners – 9000 odd miles – the Yatris leapt

To awaken was the mission
‘To go out and come back’ their vision

Sparta had her three hundred
But THIS IS INDIA, with her formidable eight hundred
In the hinterlands testifies a marble engraved

Some sobered, some stimulated, some much more in doubt
Each from their comfort zone definitely kicked out

At the threshold today –
like a bud bloom awaiting
a caterpillar metamorphosing
There’s a speck in their oysters constantly pricking
It’s only a matter of time
And the world will witness these pearls will shine.

Tags: Elita Almeida, Tata Jagriti Yatra 2009, TJY09

To the entire TJY team, the role models we’ve visited and the inspiring Yatris from amongst ourselves.

There’s something that has each one of us motivated and driven to go that extra mile. But there are those among us however who think of the greater good of the greatest numbers. These chosen few have transcended beyond and recognized what comprises of the system that almost each one of us so truly despises without batting an eyelid. They are no rebels without a cause. They aren’t without fault either.

I’ve personally mulled and mused over what is it that propels some of us to action – while many of us are content twiddling thumbs…
How is it that some see problems while some others see challenges and hurdles that ought to be jumped over…
Some eye profit. Others believe in welfare. Some don’t view either as exclusive…
Some think but don’t act. Still others act without thinking. Very few do justice to both simultaneously…
Some dream. Few have a vision…
Some shrug shoulders. Others question. Few believe…
Many hope. Some are skeptical. Few are pragmatic…
Many choose their vocation – directly or indirectly. Fewer get chosen by their vocation…

They may be few. But they have stirred us from within. They’ve caused us to question, debate and argue. They took us right into the belly. They complicated the simple and simplified the complicated. In confusing us they’ve propelled us to chart our own new course.

They did this because we can add numbers to the few.

Tags: Elita Almeida, Experience, Tata Jagriti Yatra 2009, TJY09

This comprises some of the vishesh tipni’s accumulated during the 18 day Tata Jagriti Yatra. Needless to say, they are priceless.

Grab a visionary idea that excites you and discipline it. (!?!?!)

Human mind is a small mind because it thinks of immediacy (R.G.)

Optimism on TV is a lot of ifs and buts (R.G.)

Every morning when you read the newspaper you down your enthusiasm as few points (R.G.)

We are inheritors of a very rich heritage…are we going to be good ancestors? (R.G.)

Management principles: Enter a business where your heart not money is; Focus on core competencies; Don’t employ the highly qualified; Commitment matters, qualification doesn’t. (Manish Tiwari aka Dabbawala)

Look at life through a different lens and have the courage to come back and give back. (Shashank Mani)

Try to break the block. If you can’t, bypass it. (G. Vijayraghavan)

Learn things from people you don’t like. (G. Vijayraghavan)

No minister is corrupt unless he has his bureaucrat’s support. (G. Vijayraghavan)

If you have no skeletons you have nothing to worry about. (G. Vijayraghavan)

Strings become ropes. Ropes become chains. (G. Vijayraghavan)

Don’t be afraid of failure. If you think you’re going to fail, fail as fast as you can. (G. Vijayraghavan)

You need a vision. You don’t need vision to be a visionary. (Sabriye Tenberken)

I can read and write in the dark. (Sabriye Tenberken)

We are all disabled in a way – wrong calculations, big feet, runny nose’…from a bird’s point of view we are all disabled. (Sabriye Tenberken)

You should not HAVE to go to school. You should WANT to go to school. (Paul Kronenberg)

Failure is an option. (Paul Kronenberg)

You can’t do it right the first time. (Paul Kronenberg)

You don’t learn reality in school. (Paul Kronenberg)

Prescription isn’t vision. (Aravind Eye Care)

Knowledge is spoiling the people. (R. Elango)

What is missing is cause – effect thinking. (Agastya International Foundation)

Why be judged by a sense of aesthetic given to us by the West? (Industree)

For every single Re. 1 spent on individual citizens, 16 p reaches them. (Naandi Foundation)

The completely unsexy incommunicable disease called HUNGER. (Naandi Foundation)

Swine flu became sensational because it came from an aeroplane. (Naandi Foundation)

If I’m going to be more popular than the Government, I’ll be out of business. (Naandi Foundation)

The poor have far more dignity than all of us put together. (Naandi Foundation)

Poor people need poor solutions. Really poor people need pathetic solutions (according to the Govt of India)…there’s subsidy for the privileged all throughout. (Gram Vikas)

Never grow as an organization. Grow as an idea. (Goonj)

In donation you give what you have, not what we need. (Goonj)

Formal education makes life less challenging. (Barefoot College)

The best work you do is when you are insecure…yet you struggle…when your back is against the wall, everyone is looking at you and no one is going to help you. (Barefoot College)

Lots of people say they want to give their life for a village…I say, just give seven days. (Barefoot College)

Be a kingmaker. Not the king. (Barefoot College)

Tags: Elita Almeida, Tata Jagriti Yatra 2009, TJY09

It’s Day 11 already. Strange. Wasn’t it only yesterday that I was super duper excited that my application had been approved?

24th December 2009 is going to be one real special day in my life (notwithstanding that it’s been my first Christmas away from home) — Ravindra Natya Mandir was surrounded with an air of curiosity mixed with apprehension as Yatris kept pouring in early Thursday morning – Day 1 of the Tata Jagriti Yatra 2009 – FINALLY!

Before any of us knew it we were animatedly chatting with one another interacting, trying to get to know each other, where we came from, what we currently pursue, what we propose to do, what inspired us to apply for TJY, what were our interests…

Some fortunate ones among us had already met up on Facebook or Orkut…others during pre Yatra meet ups organized along with some of the ex Yatris at our respective cities.
As we received our Yatri kits we set off to identify which cohort and group we belonged to.

I thought that it was absolutely classical that none of the folks I’d met and interacted with early that morning featured along with me in the same group/cohort…that gave more room for more interaction.

Post lunch we had the induction ceremony wherein we had the trial flag off session prior to the actual one at 11.30 pm later that night. Recreating what we’d be living only hours later on stage was a magical experience – magic completed by all of us singing out aloud the Jagriti Geet – the anthem that thoroughly encapsulated the entirety of the Tata Jagriti Yatra.

We were graced with the presence of Manish Tripathi of the Mumbai Dabbawala Service who was truly enigmatic on stage. Some of his one liners will remain firmly etched in our minds forever – “Prince Charles is our brand ambassador”)

Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan set the mood urging each one of us to think BIG – this would come to be one the central most themes of TJY which we as Yatris have come on to repeatedly hear for our own benefit during the course of our Yatra. Cashing in on “ambiguity” is BIG in enterprise and further reiterated by RG in the following words, “Human mind is a small mind because it thinks of immediacy” – need one say more!
Mr. Shashank and Ms. Revati talked to us of middle India, demographic dividends, of scalable solutions and of disciplining our visionary ideas.

After a quick dinner we the Yatris were really high on what awaited us as we boarded our buses and made our way to Mumbai Central station around 9 pm.

Though I must mention that some of our overseas participants weren’t excited that this wasn’t Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus of the Slumdog Millionaire fame! The wait at the station however though was the longest has been the most exciting ever…at midnight with no train in sight still we sung Christmas carols with full gusto and spread the cheer and merriment of Christmas.

Our train did come – though only around 3 am courtesy certain technical problems. Once in the train we acquainted ourselves with surroundings we’d have to familiarize ourselves with during the Yatra…this boogie…this 3 tier cubicle allotted to us would be our home…the groupies our family – there was already emating a sense of identity and oneness.

This so far has been all about Day 1 and I can’t seem to be able to edit it down to fewer words.

TJY is truly an enriching journey – a five fold process of the internal, external journey, innovation, collaboration and transformation all in the offing.

Some of us are only moments away from our spark of ignition while some of us are still awaiting our Eureka moment when like Archimedes we too shall spring out to recognize and realize our potentials…

It’s only a matter of time…

Tags: Christmas, Elita Almeida, Launch, Mumbai