Tata Jagriti Yatra 2010

यारों चलो बदलने की रुत है

These lyrics by Prasoon Joshi is what Jagiriti Yatra is about. It’s a journey that spans 12 cities across the Indian mainland igniting change in 400 young men and women. It takes these participants known as yatris to meet social and business entrepreneurs who are role models in their fields. The 400 yatris for the 2010 yatra are a diverse bunch from all regions of India and 12 other countries including Germany, Ethiopia, UK, Jordan, US and Australia among others.

Not only is the diversity amazing, the things people have done are mind-blowing. In my own group, there are two IAS aspirants, one lobbyist, a doctor who’s worked with ‘Doctors Without Borders’, an environmentalist who’s been to the UN conference in Copenhagen and the Sarpanch of a village in Chattisgarh. Isn’t it just breath-taking? I’ll keep mentioning the brilliant people I meet throughout my posts. For now, let us take a look at what the yatra is about.

The yatra is centered on using enterprise-led development to develop middle India. The jury is out for a precise definition of middle India. Middle India is that class which has ambitions and potential but not resources to fulfil them. Education is limited which limits the income too. Large families and seasonal nature of employment further worsen the situation. Urban middle Indians would be the rickshaw-drivers, grade IV government employees, small shopkeepers and the like. Rural middle India would include small and marginal farmers.
The urban class also includes the tragedies produced by our education system, the educated unemployed. The schooling in many government schools produces literate but not educated individuals. This middle India has a number of 550 million against it. The burning question then is what can be done for them.

Jagriti answers it with enterprise-led development. This nation is enjoying the benefits of demographic dividend. The youth needs to take up this challenge by being job-creators rather than job-seekers. There are opportunities galore. The word youth brings with it energy and a desire to do things differently. They can merge technology with homegrown solutions. As family responsibility is not yet on their shoulders, they can make mistakes and learn from them. With incubator cells keen to back them, youth can create wonders.  The picture is not all rosy as being inexperienced is both an opportunity and challenge. It takes time to learn the ropes of how the system works. And it takes sheer courage to throw away a lucrative job and venture out into the world of entrepreneurship.

PS: The post was written during the first days of the yatra but could not be uploaded due to connectivity problem.