Jagriti Yatra is taking youth around India. For 18 days, traveling 9000km to 12 destinations around the country, a group of 400 motivated youth aged 20-25 are brought together on a train to learn and meet the unsung heroes of India. The goal of the program is to ignite the spirit of entrepreneurship within these individuals by exposing them to those who are forming unique solutions to India’s challenges.
Jagriti Yatra sees potential in the middle class youth – the 500 million living between $1-3 a day – to lead development of the country. They are the job creators of the future who will solve India’s youth employment and development issues. India has a plethora of thinkers who now need to put their thoughts into action.
The program participants called “Yatris” are roughly equal numbers of male and female youth. The train journey starts in Mumbai and stops in Mithapur, Tilonia, Delhi, Deoria, Jamshedpur, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Chennai, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Thiruvananthapuram, ending back in Mumbai. At each destination, youth meet role models of India and interact with a total of 20-30 role models by the of the journey. Meals are provided and served on the train and shower facilities are available on board. Between destinations, youth spend time on the train to engage in debates and conversation with one another and work on group projects. The intimate space allows for strong bonds to shape between participants. Past Yatris have praised the program, calling it challenging, inspiring, and amazing.
The 2011 Jagriti Yatra train is currently on the journey, departing this past December 24 and will end on January 11, 2012. Applications are now open for the 2012 Jagriti Yatra train. Around 15,000 people have applied for this program in 2011 where selection is not limited to youth in India. They accepted 35 individuals from Argentina, Britain, Denmark, Israel, South Africa, the United States, and more to promote diversity. The program costs 34,000 Indian rupees. Those who cannot afford to participate pay a fee of 4,000 Indian rupees in which sponsors help with the rest.
While Jagriti Yatra does not expect Yatris to become entrepreneurs on the 19th day, they are empowered to turn the experiences into something positive in their communities.