BANGALORE: The British Council is supporting an annual 15-day train journey from December 24 to January 8, called the Jagriti Yatra, which takes on 450 young Indians on an inspiring odyssey across India in order to stir the spirit of entrepreneurship in them. On this trip, five entrepreneurs (four from the UK and one from India) picked by the British Council will also be travelling. These entrepreneurs come from backgrounds as diverse as design curation to environment and ethics and graphic design, and have interesting personal entrepreneurial journeys. The journey will span various regions and will expose the carefully selected participants to new ideas, people and institutions that are rarely recognised for the work they do in tackling India’s social and economic challenges. Organised by Jagriti Sewa Sansthan and supported by British Council, Jagriti Yatra aims to be an inspiring train journey for the youth of India in order to awaken the spirit of entrepreneurship by exposing them to living examples of what’s possible. The participants have been selected through a rigorous and well-designed selection process, with a focus on the economic middle of India. The youngsters will be travelling through Mumbai, Dharwar, Bangalore, Madurai, Chennai, Vishakhapatanam, Behrampur, Patna, Deoria, Delhi, Tiloniya and Ahmedabad; a mix of urban and rural areas of the country that are also home to many of the role models the Yatra wishes to expose them to. Through this national event they wish to inspire the youth of India to lead and develop institutions both nationally and within their communities. Experiential learning is the foundation of the Yatra that will help play a large role in motivating the youth. This will take place in four ways:Role Model visits: The participants are exposed to the work of role models across the country. From the tribal hinterland of Orissa where Joe Madiath established Gram Vikas to the desert town of Tiloniya where Bunker Roy has set up Barefoot College; from the beautiful backwaters of Kerala, home to Paul and Sabriye’s International Institute for Social Entrepreneurship to Anshu Gupta’s complex clothes logistics operations in Delhi, each institution is distinctly different. These visits are designed to allow Yatris to interact directly with exceptional change-makers at their work place- their karma-bhumi. Yatri Interactions: Yatri Interactions will take place all the time during the 15 days through informal chats, compartment sessions or collaborative projects. The diversity of experience, perspectives and backgrounds represented by 450 Yatris lead to a constant exchange of ideas. Panel Discussions: Some eminent personalities from different sectors are invited during the Yatra to do discussions around topical themes ranging from women enterprises to rural regeneration, from technology start-ups and their social impact, to ethics and leadership. Award-winning panelists and veterans in different fields will be invited to lead these discussions. Previous panelists at Jagriti Yatra include Nandini Vaidyanathan (educator, founder of CarmaConnet), Gijs Spoor (Co-founder, Zameen Organics), Vishal Talreja (founder, Dream a Dream) and Shaheen Mistri (founder, Teach for India), among other names. Biz Gyan Tree: A training exercise in a rural setting, during the Yatra, to develop business plans to solve the issues faced by local people. This training exercise, post Yatra, develops into an enterprise plan development workshop through a residency in the same rural setting.
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