As I start to write down my yatra as a yatri 2009, many images come rushing to my mind. The first day… The flickering images of the registration process that was taking place in the early hours of 24th December.
24th December – Wheels of change set in motion
Hundreds of yatris were moving in and out with their luggage at Ravindra Natya Mandir where all of us met for the first time. In all the confusion of loading the buses and tagging the luggage, yatris were exchanging their names and backgrounds to get acquainted with each other. Personally, I was overloaded with names, qualifications and dreams. There was too much happening in too little time. But as days went by on the yatra, too much happening in too little time became a norm. I can still remember the night on Mumbai Central station. The Tata Jagriti Yatra train which we were so excited to board got stuck with some problem at 11.30 pm on 24th night. The wait for a few minutes turned into hours. And what an adventure it was! I have heard that all the strugglers who have made it in life have spent at least one night on Bombay railway station. So this was my chance to glory. A night well spent. Singing Christmas carols, patriotic songs in the middle of the night with 399 strangers was a totally new feeling… the train finally arrived at 4.00 am in the morning thanks to the Indian railways! The wheels of change were set in motion carrying 400 youth across the length and breath of the country covering 9300 kilometers to reach 13 destinations…
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