Bon Jovi - The Legend - Amazing Experience in KiwiLand

It is the World circle tour 2010 for Bon Jovi and team and their show in Auckland,New Zealand for which i have grabbed the last ticket at a hefty price and was standing in the queue to entry for half an hour, and when the gates opened there was an uproar in the crowd and the excitement was so much that people were shelling out money for the merchandise offered at the venue. The Venue - Vector Arena, a huge indoor stadium with 12000 seating capacity situated in Auckland CBD, just a stones throw away from our apartment.

I have entered the venue and was amazed by the way they designed for each one of us to have a view of the person. The crowd started entering slowly and there was a band playing just to warm up. They played for half an hour, making our will to meet Bon even stronger. When the clock had struck 8:30 PM, the man arrived for a thundering applause and welcome .The introduction was a highlight with huge screen in the backdrop and playing the theme music deafening our ears and raising our spirits. He was on a rise, in the middle of the crowd in the first instance making them go wild.Then he reached the stage, a little pep talk and then he was straight to the job.

He is a magician who knows the pulse of the audience, can reach to them, be with them and above all can emotionally connect, truly making him a great person. He has started playing the guitar and his performance was sending the crowd in to raptures, his dance , his swings, every one loved each and every moment of the show.Everyone was lost in the music.

In the middle there was a song dedication to all the brave men who have lost their lives in the Pike River Mine explosion, and the small speech before that could bring a tear to the eye of any one. The song was truly touching and is a testimony of his heart which cares for others.

Then came the evergreen song of this Band, which made everyone swaying to his tune and beats, Its My Life....., justifying the spirit. We did not know how the song went by, it finished in a jiffy and came to an end with in no time. There were all the favorite songs of this band being played and we were asking for more..

The final touch was with the song " Livin on a prayer", a truly fantastic one, and when he said good night and when the lights turned off, we were silently wishing in our hearts, he would come back once more for entertaining us..

Bon Jovi, the true charmer - leaving the audience spell bound and asking for more!! Hail the Legend!

Discovery in the Kiwi Land III

It has been a pretty long time since I have written, the pain in the winter will definitely yield to joy in the summer, this is what I have believed and it certainly turned out to be so on all fronts. Life just goes on and on and people back home ask you eagerly when i will be coming back and you do not have a concrete answer to that and say an approximate date , on which anything can happen. This is the situation of most of the people who go abroad hoping to return back in a given time frame.

When every person who is working with you and who is from your country leaves, you get a feeling of being back home and when you are sick the intensity of the feeling goes up beyond words. Life is not a bed of roses and you need to get adjusted to lot of things. We keep subsiding this feeling when ever it surfaces looking ahead to the weekend , when we will pump some energy to add some spice to life by going to gatherings and events.

One such event is the Santa parade which is brought by a retail store known as Farmer’s; it is huge parade with the majority of the Brands participating in the store. It is an excellent marketing idea to combine the promotion of the products, the beginning of the Christmas sale, awareness and the fun and frolic truly bringing across the spirit of Christmas on a sunny Sunday afternoon where you can find the diversity of New Zealand in all its forms, the kiwi’s the immigrants, the young, the old, the bold and everyone under the sun, seen on the Queen street, the most happening place for this city where the “City Never Sleeps”.

As our elders say the hype and happiness before a festival or a holiday is much more than the occasion itself, so keep it abreast. We look forward for Christmas which is the season of spreading love, the season of giving and the season to look forward to the future with greater hope and a sense of optimism.

Discovery in the Kiwi Land - II

I am back with the updates and learning, the discoveries, the enlightenment and the way life goes on daily in this land in one corner of the world map. Every morning i see an island from my balcony (called dovenport) in the tenth floor of my apartment, opposite the Auckland port and remember of a hill temple in my hometown and i meditate by sitting before it every morning.

I was looking at a report on the net which says that Indians are the most conservative and are devoid of any risks and they prefer the life to be that. I was taken aback by the statistics and then i felt, there are lies, damn lies and statistics. However, this may apply to the majority and things are slowly changing and people are coming out of their comfort zones, breaking the stereotypes. It is not that we are risk averse, it is just that we are not provided an opportunity and we put the society before us and being brought up in a conservative style. The number of new business arenas explored, mentioned in the outlook magazine makes a mark . Either it be personal or professional life we can take risks. We can change career paths, start new business, explore a new country and do more.We can be good at sailing, para gliding, bungee jumping, scuba diving, sky jump who knows. As Rahul Gandhi said, " There are lot of obamas in the making" in our country who are willing to travel that extra mile and prove the world who they are..

The weekends are what we look forward to as the life is becoming mechanical, lacking spice and thrill and when it finally arrives it vanishes in a jiffy and that is why our elders used to say " Time Flies". We could see people getting frenzy over the weekend, the fire engines running helter skelter to avert a disaster and the patrol vehicles crisscrossing the city while people are intoxicated and having a nice time.


One of the days in the week, i have been to the University of Auckland B-School, which is one of the best in the world and is enlisted in the top 100, only when i stepped in to the campus, i realized why management education of global standards has been sought after and recognized throughout the globe and rewarded aptly. The people who make these future managers, their attitude, commitment, the exposure, the cases they study, the way they analyze, the integration of different platforms and the synergy , that is what brings in innovation, which is the key to growth of an organization and in a broader perspective the nation. As our beloved president Abdul Kalam stated, " Give me the child for 11 years and i will show you where he will be". When an open culture is created to work,to learn, to grow the development is manifold and they foster. And that would be the way to grow.

On the eleventh floor of a skyscraper, watching the city is breathtaking, the view is exhilarating, even when we getup in the morning, the weather is unpredictable and changes swiftly like our thoughts. It is fun to forget your jacket back home while leaving to office and shiver when it is sunny outside and people noting it.

12000 km away, eating dal rice which is served piping out and that too from a person from your hometown speaking the language you speak back home, serving you additional delicacies just to keep your taste buds alive and your platter full is something divine and a gods gift.
Money cannot buy everything, for everything else there is Master Card


The way the Retailing is done is pretty different, its completely different from what is seen back home, if the particular product is not available, the person himself guides where it would be available and would not push his product to the customer. If it is the closing time they say it in a polite way. They do not stretch the working hours for the customer. Can this be thought of back home?

Then comes the argument " Is customer the King?". If so they need to be at their service and mend themselves, If not - then the view is, that one person is just providing the other what he needs and is satisfying his wants and nothing more than that. This statement can have different dimensions when related to different industries and at the end of the day, even if it is a product or the service which is marketed, it is always the service which is sold. "Service Marketing" has already caught up. A Hindsight, most of the people who opt for marketing as a specialization while studying do not leave this leaf unturned.


To be continued - (your views most solicited)

Discovery in the Kiwi Land

Its the first instance of my life, where the majority of the software professionals in the Indian sub continent would dream off, the on-site visit to a distant foreign land to explore the opportunities and to grow and to lead a life of their dreams, to break free of the conservative life style which is a part of the urban Indian middle class families and to enjoy to the maximum extent possible. We come with dreams in our eyes and a passion in our heart to find greener pastures, only to find at the end of the day that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

One thing from the westerners that needs to be appreciated and taken back home is that their outlook towards life and that they keep personal matters away from the official ones. Everything is ready made and its the best example to justify why the human effort and dedication levels have been to an all time low. The flip side is that the time can be spent on more productive work.. If done:)

Crossing the seas and landing in a different land for transit has shown where the Indian sub continent has developed in terms of infrastructure.. No wonder, when i read the books of great travelers, they have rated the Indian airports to the bare minimum. The maintenance of the airport solely does not depend on the authorities alone,it also depends on the people for whom it is made.

In spite of the intense battle in the skies, the customer service in the flights left lot to be deserved. At the end of the day, you will be delivered what you have paid for. Going that extra mile in delivering that extra service is what according to me brings back the customer.

Cultures, traditions, color, taste, dressing, looks everything changes in a different land, but the basic human instinct and the needs theory of Masclow remain the same for the most part of the planet. The organization culture and the group dynamics remain the same despite the size of the organizations varying considerably across the supply chain..

On the personal front - The enthusiasm of discovering a foreign land soon fades away, the heart beats for the loved ones back home and at the same time wants the adrenalin rush here..

Just take a cue from the Smirnoff add "Life's Calling".......

The next part..... (To be continued)

Experience Of the Yatra.....

About the Yatra

Tata Jagriti Yatra -

 2008 (December 24th 2008 - January 11th, 2009) is an annual train journey that will take 350 of India's highly motivated youth (with some participation of international students) between the ages of 18-25 on a eighteen day national odyssey, introducing them to unsung heroes of India. The aim is to awaken the spirit of entrepreneurship - both social and economic - within India's youth by exposing them to individuals and institutions that are developing unique solutions to India’s challenges. Through this national event we will inspire them to lead and develop institutions nationally and within their communities.

We heard about the role of CSR, the importance of empowering your staff, experiencing rural life by living amongst those who you are trying to help in order to understand their true challenges, bringing about change through the power of the individual and collaborating with colleagues by harnessing the power of the network to bring about lasting change.

This is the personal experience of the yatra coming in full flow, the story begins......

23-Dec-08

 My Home….

 It was my semester exams and I needed lot of courage to miss one of the exams and go ahead for the yatra, since it’s very close to me; I packed my luggage at 11 Pm and slept to wake up at 3 am to catch the first flight to Bombay.

 

24-Dec-08

To Bombay-The Flight experience…

I got up as scheduled since i did not have a peaceful sleep as I was very much excited about the journey and adding to this is  the first flight experience was making me jittery inside and was  feeling its all part of it, went to the airport at 5 am with my dad and I checked in and took the boarding pass and waiting to board the big bird and I was observing people in the meantime, I got to board the flight after waiting for 20 min and was so amazed by the cabin crew- they are really talented, then at last, my moment of waiting came to an end, its time for take off- we fastened the seat belts and initially it was a transport corporation bus on the tarmac, it had taken an ‘U’ turn and stopped for the signal, then I felt the horsepower of the engine- my ears were blocked and I was in to air for the first time- a truly wonderful feeling, the clouds below me and the sunrise- amazing stuff, then I landed in to the city of dreams-bombay- the scene from the flight was amazing-huge slums in midst of multistoried apartments, I landed at the financial capital.

 

IIT Bombay-Registration, Induction and Inauguration...Lijjat Papad and Dabbawallahs…

I have been to IIT Bombay where our registration and induction is to take place, there i have seen the change makers of this country, a spark in them, really delighted to be there, all around there was luggage and then we finally got in to groups based on geographical diversification, then everybody got to know each other, breakfast and then there was a rousing induction program where the core member team spoke about the effort taken and how they have put things together, I owe a lot to them.

Then we had a session with Ms.Jyoti Naik and her team who are behind Lijjat papad, their success story brought lot of cheers to the crowd.

Then i have known how committed they are about bringing a change and inspiring the youth, then we moved on to ravindra natya mandir in dadar for the inaugural ceremony- it was a kick start with manish tiwari- the spokesperson of the dabbawallahs hogging the limelight and speaking very practically- then we had a sumptuous dinner and moved to bombay central.

At Bombay Central…..

11 PM - The train was welcomed with roaring applause and the people around there were bamboozled as to what is going on the platform with so many people shouting- we were introduced to colonel patil an ex army man who will be heading the train and taking in charge for its smooth running, the train left bombay central with much pomp and grandeur and in an hour it was Christmas and we celebrated it on train where we were not allocated our berths and it was cramped- we managed to doze off anyhow..

25-Dec-08

First day of the Journey – Introduction to the yatra on Board

                 I got up to a foggy morning and I was amazed to see everybody shooting through their cameras, the weather was really good, and the chaiwallahs came serving us piping hot tata tea, we enjoyed it a lot and we all got ready and were getting to know each other well. We saw Madegaon station, it was really good and the port on the way.

Then there were two sessions from the organizers team, one about the yatra and how we should derive benefit from it and the other was about the basics of entrepreneurship- they stole my hear, for the first time in my life i m seeing a set of very highly committed individuals with so much energy and synergy and what they can derive out of it, they were never removing the wind out of the sails for others as it happens in most organizations because of ego clashes, its simply astounding, I was pleased as punch.

First Lunch in the train and later role model visited….

 Then we had the best lunch of my life- with the whole compartment enjoying and the caterers giving selfless service and filling our bellies to charge up our minds, I really bow to those people who served us food, they woke us up and took care as if they r our family members, they r the real heroes of India- they care for their fellow people, soon after lunch the train stopped for a signal and we all got down despite the security shouting and taking snaps on the track and one train came at around 80kmph and we all came aside in a jiffy hearing its thumping horn.

 Then later Mr.Shri Padre one of the role models came and delivered his speech and the evening were fun with some formal discussions and sessions and we were enjoying the music on the public announcement system which was dubbed as the train’s radio station.The temperatures were coming down and we dozed off in our sleeping bags.
 26-Dec-08

 In the gods Own Country…..
         We got up to see the beauty of the gods own country, we have entered kerala and its really awe-inspiring, people were taking pictures like they  were lost in their world and engrossed in the beauty of nature, we were traveling and morning was a discussion with the group and then it was routine, had a chat with our facilitator sanjay lakhotia who has come from NUS-Singapore’s best university, then we had lunch and the train stopped in kochuveli- a small station 30 km from trivandrum- we had group discussions, sessions, lunch on the platform, then later in the evening we went to the veli park which is beside the beach, we had loads of un, i became a kid again, nostalgia struck me, speed boats, lakes, the beach aside, the scenery was breathtaking, we came back to the station to find there was no power, we all took it in the right spirit, we settled down, put huge torches in the middle and started signing and dancing for patriotic songs- then the power came and we took bath in the trains yard and we had dinner and came to our berths only to find out that we have to sleep tonight in a stationary train and we welcomed it...

27-Dec -08

The Lighter side of the Yatra……..                  

The train was still at the kochuveli station, we were immersed in the thought that we will be always on the run throughout the journey, everybody was getting ready to go and i was as usual on my berth getting up late, and by the time i was ready, in the last moment swapnil sawant , the core team member came and told me put on my pant on the platform as the train was to leave to the yard for maintenance, my group mates still make fun of me regarding that whenever i would be late and from then i would be ready on dot as mentioned in the public announcement system.

 

The session at techno park………

 Then we boarded the bus and went to techno park - trivandrum it park, and on the way we enjoyed the scenic beauty and some of them were lost in mischievous thoughts of having their partner beside in a lovely place like that and suddenly they were back from the utopia when we entered the sprawling 180 acre campus built in traditional kerala style, it was simply superb, then we had a session with the man behind it Mr. Vijay Raghavan who was speaking business and thought how public private partnership could blossom, his 11 member team, untiring and relentless support extended by them made the huge project happen despite so many hiccups, kerala being a communist state- people could well imagine the hardships and the number of uphill tasks to be done.

Then we had a session with the director of toons, he was explaining about the animation industry, what we are lacking in our country and when it would take off, it was like a seminar for the engineering grads, then we had lunch at the campus and then we moved on.

In the Beaches Of Gods Own country…

At the kovalam beach and we saw everything being made with coconut oil in the most beautiful restaurants, we enjoyed the most in the beach and we were late for the bus and got a warning for from the organizers which we did not take it seriously and was not interpreting our train of thought.

                  We moved on to the station, had dinner on the platform and at this point discussions were getting serious and there were heated arguments ranging over many issues and apart from that the fun element is an eternal one of the yatra, we were given time to board the train and the headcount happened when the session was going on in the conference room and the train started to our next destination Kanyakumari, we cleared the bed (sorry berths :))which was choc-a-bloc and we slept like we were sick for days, the enjoyment in the beach has taken its toll..

 

28-Dec-08

Kanyakumari- The Southern Tip…

We came to kanyakumari and we headed to the Vivekananda rock memorial and were standing in a serpentine q, and the northies were amazed by the marketing skills of the localities, and some have even fallen prey to them and paid a hefty price. Then we got in at last to feel the sea breeze on a sunny day and we got in to the boat and went to the rock memorial which was 400 mts away approx, and we were in the middle of the sea and the big city brats who have never been like that are having a high time and its visible there, it was a special feeling to be there.

We went to Vivekananda ashram and had lunch there ad dozed off for a couple of hours like we were nomads and then there was the first media session, to be candid we expected a lot and it was like a general Q & A session, we came back to the station, got ready in the waiting rooms and then moved on to the session in the train and later had dinner- it was indeed a very special day....

29-Dec-08

Pondycherry- Give Time a Break…

            We have reached a small station and thought it was the signal for which the train was halting but it was our destination. We have reached Puducherry- the French connection to India and on the way we have seen enchanting tamil nadu, unraveling the country side. We were behind schedule and we had lunch on board and as the public announcement system said we were ready to jump off the train and board the buses when the train pulled in to the station. We got in to the buses and went to Aravind eye care and were touched by their hospitality.

 

Aravind eye Care…..                       

They accommodated all the 400 in a single auditorium and Dr.Pathak addressed the need for eye care and the vision of the hospital to remove unwanted blindness. Dr. Venkataswamy known as Dr V, in the western world was a classic example of how social entrepreneurship can bring change to the lives of the people.

His story was not of one from rags to riches but of one person whose commitment speaks volumes for him.

                     We were bowled over by their hospitality, we were treated like the guests of highest order and some doctors in our group tried in vain to grill them technically about the costing aspects and techniques used depending on the amount paid by the patient.

Videos of this hospital could be viewed on you tube and I wish u did it.

            Then we moved on to the station and had dinner, the speakers of the public announcement system were put outside on the platform, the current drawn from the pole over there and tata was getting back benefits for every penny paid , this is for the session with Mr. Pashey the founder of auroville, it was more on the spiritual front where 20 year odds were speaking like 60 year odds and then the train started to Chennai around 11…. 

30-Dec-08

New Year Preparations… Chennai..

                     The preparations for the New Year are in frenzy and everybody is trying to make their compartment look better, then we got up in the morning where our trained was stationed in the chetpet yard- we have come to Namba Chennai. I was remembering my under graduate days, since it’s the route I used to travel daily…

Mr.Elango- Kuthambakkam Village

We walked on to the bridge and caught buses near Harrington road to go to kuthambakam village, near poonamalle to meet Mr. Elango a chemical engineer and a scientist who has left his profession in pursuit of transforming his village, he is sure a heartthrob and is definitely an unsung hero, he has developed bricks and asbestos which are of more strength and less cost, it was awarded the model village of that panchayat, then we moved on to the chinmaya heritage centre for the media event and on the way I was desperate to go back home and meet my mom and I did it in the evening, had a good bath in home after a weeks time and on the way back my dad came to the station and I felt proud introducing him, the elite crowd there was very receptive, we had taken snaps on the egmore platform and my mom wanted me to write the exam, I was determined to continue this journey of my lifetime and around 12 the train left to b lore……

31- Dec-08 

The Change Factor…..Bangalore- Garden City….

It was the last day of the year which has brought a tremendous change in the outlook of my life and I woke up to the chilled weather of the garden city-bangalore and everyone was warming up with the tea and eating the biscuits dunk in their drinks. I was shivering with cold and the people from the north were making fun that if I was not able to bear this cold I would be frozen to death in the north and those words made a chill run down my spine which made the fear and anxiety come to the forefront, it was a source of pumping the adrenalin and keep it going. 

As usual everybody was getting ready and the strange thing I noticed of these metro crowd is that these people were spending more time before the mirrors and soaking in their beauty rather than working on the task assigned to them, enjoyed the chai and to my surprise, I was having a bad throat and guru bhide from maharashtra gave me a home made ayurvedic medicine which was so powerful that brought tears to a man who would never like to see men crying, realizing how powerful the thinking of our ancestors was. At last, I was back in to action and the train pulled in to the Bangalore cantonment station, I was feeling one among the crowd as I removed my moustache, my mom used to say be a Roman when you are in Rome. 

AWAKE-Women are on the forefront…..

Then we boarded the buses after having some fun with the organizers and moved to AWAKE- an organization dedicated for woman entrepreneurs, the way they are motivating them and lending support to develop successful business models is worth a million to know about, it was thoroughly enriching. I though men were more competent before my management degree but off late I believe women make better managers since they are more compassionate and can handle people well and good at multitasking. 

Good lunch and then Art of Living session... :)

Then we had lunch which we were longing for a couple of days in one of the Bangalore's finest restaurants and then we moved on to the art of living campus, it was a delight for the heart and the soul to see such a magnificent man made structure for the purpose of preaching the spirit of life and to convey the purpose of life is a life of purpose.

I think the above one does not sound like a typical paradox, at times I do become spiritual but what is mentioned here is all from an optimists side which I am not completely.

Being a pragmatist, they were literally minting money and the campus was still fresh in the minds eye and we came back to the station and waited for the train to be on the platform and the wait seemed to be an eternal one, the train arrived after 2 hours and we are knowing how to take things in life through these little experiences.

Exam and the New year Celebrations……..

I had convinced the organizers after speaking to them for 20 min and got permission to write the exam and I was almost sick, my mind was wavering in Chennai as to how would I clear that off and there were butterflies in my stomach each time I think about it. 

We had very little food for we have made up our mind to reserve large part of our bellies for the new year goodies, the fire works started and the train which I had to board is on the platform beside and I was standing in the middle, as Robert frost says-Two roads diverged in an yellow wood and I took the road less traveled by and that has made all the difference, that night I felt sad that I was leaving an elite group and they were skeptic that I would not return back since its for academic reasons I am leaving it in the middle and on the other side I was feeling happy thinking that Indians are good crisis managers, it was exactly twelve when my train pulled out of the station and the dazzling fireworks lit the entire cityscape, a delight to the eye, I bid farewell and wished everybody a happy new year and  I am in the new year in a brand new train from the yard searching for a new direction in life, the party on the platform started at eleven and lasted till 1. It was the best new year eve I have ever celebrated and the ticket collector made a fast buck for the berth allocated since mine is a general ticket and after a week of waking up by someone in my group to see people rushing to bathrooms and newspapers, I will be waking up to my alarm as the first day of my yatra – it is sure, the earth revolves and you ll be at a point u were once in. I was fast asleep with these thoughts lingering in the background…………. 

01-jan-09

Back Home and Exam Preparation….

 I have reached home at 5 am to a pleasant surprise of my parents that I am back for the examination I have to take and was flat on the bed as I was sick and I was again woken up to a new year wish from the yatri who had missed me the day before, I was pleased as punch and it was a stupendous way to start a new year. I have started preparing of my exam…

 02-jan-09

 The preparation came in to full swing as I started believing in my self that I am going to crack this, the day was filled with phone calls, net and other last minute preparation stuff.

03-jan-09 

The enthusiasm of starting the second leg of the journey….

In the morning , I was thinking that I would be starting my journey back today rather than revising and thinking about the examination , I was so overwhelmed by it, went to the exam and by gods grace it was all fine and I was kick starting the second leg of the journey ,I was traveling for first time in a volvo , my dad came for the send-off, my mobile was playing only hip hop when the bus was cruising at 100kmph and I was on cloud nine as I was visiting my mothers place and would be meeting the relatives there..

4-jan-09

From Hyderabad to Bhubaneshwar……

I was there in my grandparents place and told them why I was there for a very brief period and they were awe struck and my uncle liked the theme of the yatra and he came all the way till the Hyderabad airport to make sure I was checked in on time for the bhubaneshwar flight. I was watching the Hyderabad airport as any sixth grader would watch, the Greenfield airport was a masterpiece and is a testimony to define India Shining campaign, I mean it. One has to see it to believe it. I got my flight delayed by half an hour and it departed at 5:30 pm and I was ther around 7:00, again was enjoying the take off from one of the best airports of India, I had taken a taxi to reach Khurda Road station which is 10 km from Bhubaneshwar and it cost me a hell to reach there, it was a remote place.

 I was holding my hands together since I don't even know the local language and the appearance of the people was terrific, good example of not to be deceived by appearancesJ.

When I was waiting on the platform for my group to arrive, I was having a discussion with Mr. Rahul, the head of the media team for the tjy who has elaborately described what media is in India and what all faces it can have. We discussed a range of issues from micro finance, ngos to the urban infrastructure and the burning issues in the country.

Rejoining the group….

Then the moment of my life came, when I met my group back, even the security guard is delighted to have us on board, nice people indeed, We all danced again to Oye lucky lucky oye, this time on the platform itself making other people think we were some strange creatures doing some weird things on this planet and we camouflaged the situation better by saying it was all fun for completing a tiring session successfully. 

They described about how a man in the surrounding village about 90 km away has transformed the village by providing them the basic amenities of drinking water and sanitation, After a long time I was again having the food prepared by the master chefs, while having it I forgot about my exam and everyone was more curious than me as how I had did it and people whom I don't know started coming and asking me how it was..

The Nightmare………….

 Then we woke up everyone who was asleep and pretended as we were from press and wanted to know their views about the yatra, we got the mike from the media team and one of us was recording the proceeding and we had a whole lot of reaction, some of them even came to hit us, we loaded them on to a lippie and laughed like we have gone mad of more than an hour, it was horrendous for those people.. 

After a tiring day, we never even thought of whether the train was moving or not but we went on and slept…….

 What seemed like a babies sleep suddenly turned in to a nightmare, it was 2 am and everyone was in deep sleep when some of the boys started waking  up announcing that there was a bomb in the train and when we opened the windows the train is on bhubaneshwar just 10 km of journey done in 4 hours, there were people getting on to the platform and the lights were on in every compartment, we got down and it was very cold, we went to the station masters room to find out that it was the failure of breaks, we saw people spreading bed sheets on the platforms and playing cards, sharing photos, loving each other, chatting, gossiping, snoring and sleeping and a whole lot of variety people, we were still not able to get the right place to doze off, I am desperate for sleep as I was preparing for the exams the last couple of days, we got in to the mens waiting room and I pulled the bed sheet of my friend who was fast asleep to make myself warm, then we slept and in an hour got up to another hoax call from our members that the train was ready and it will leave in an hour, everybody started getting ready and we were back in to action…Two big hoax calls in a span of 4 hours- really……… u fill up the word for your selfJ….. That’s how the day ended, I am sorry it started……

05-jan-09    

 A Sleep deprived day…….

 The train has arrived on the platform in bhubaneshwar and we had a very good breakfast in the railway canteen, everybody is so deprived of sleep, their eyes bulged out and red, its clearly visible, if the platform had been deserted they would have lied down, the train came and to everyone’s surprise we were all cheering it and the motor man of the diesel engine waved his out and greeted us and is equally enjoyed to have a 400 member high energy team, the organizers were dumbfounded by this incident since they thought all of us would not take it in the right spirit, the morning ablutions were a fun time as everyone used to make comments on whether they have taken bath and when is the last time they have done it.

 

Everyone was on board and the train started and there was a deep sense of satisfaction inside me, everyone was fast asleep and the schedule altered a bit and we did not hear the routine good morning yatris from smriti who used to wake us up daily through the announcement system.

The lunch has arrived and many of them were unwilling to take it and don’t want to be disturbed for any reason and the people serving were asking each and every person to eat at least a bit and not let their bellies be empty. The train was running behind schedule 10 hours and late in the evening we reached jamshedpur, the steel city.

 

Tata Steel and Media session…….

We were hoping on to the buses and left for tata steel, they have given us a kit which describes the history of tata steel and I m seeing the faces so delighted as sixth graders when someone gives them a pleasant surprise. We did not get enough time to be in tata steel as we were late and it was one of the points we all were rearing to go, some were really disappointed, but we took it and moved on. It was getting late for the media session and we almost missed a part of it in the xlri campus, I was really delighted to be there, I made a promise to myself that one day I am going to be there and that would determine the path I will be taking in my life further.

 

With that resolution we came back and started discussing about the days events and headed to the session in the conference hall which we enjoyed thoroughly and it was going in to the wee hours…

 

06-Jan-09

A day completely in the train…….

This is the last longest part of the journey and the train was heading to lucknow, it was so planned as to give us much time to introspect and dwell up on the things and there were not many sessions on board but heated discussions taking place in the compartments and that’s why its aptly called the burning train.

 

For so long I have not mentioned the jagriti geet, which like the anthem for the yatra, and we have steps for it and is performed on all the venues and symbolizes the spirit of the yatra, the spirit of change, on the lighter side of this is that people used to not to do at times feeling it as routine in the media discussions and perform in the train when no one is doing it when its played on the community radio.

Getting to see myself from another dimension…..

Many people were deeply immersed in writing their diaries and updating their blogs in the blog room, I am not an avid writer, but I thought I would put down my experiences on paper, so whenever I turn nostalgic I could turn to it, I was recording the journey right from the beginning. I found the experience to be scintillating.

 

The Photography session……… By Vidur

We went to the session and one of the groups have summarized the role model visits in a truly innovative way with a skit, we came back to the compartments and had dinner and after that there was a session on photography, we developed a new liking for it during the course of the journey and the lesson was that anyone with a good camera with the latest features cannot be a good photographer and each picture should depict a story.

 

Then I sat in the ticket collectors chair and started reading business stripped bare by Richard Branson and I have not know how 2 hours have just zipped past me. I feel it’s a narrative one right from the heart of the tycoon. My friends going to the other compartments were popping out their eyes seeing me in that chair reading seriously in that biting cold.

 

That made me have a fever while I was about to sleep and my group mates were always there for me to help me out and make sure I was having a sound sleep with all that is available on hand….

 

07-Jan-09

Lucknow-The artistic city… Immam barah

We have reached Lucknow and it was like an hop on- hop off tour, we quickly moved on to the buses and were wondering how artistically the city was designed, our first stopping was at the imam barah , it was a masterpiece, it was a heritage site and we all were not marinating the decorum since we are overjoyed and the guide there came and requested us that it was a mourning month for them and we respect their feelings and everyone was taken aback and there was pin drop silence of such an august gathering….

 

SEWA- Organization to empower women….

Then we quickly moved on to SEWA, an organization established to empower women and whose founder Elaben has been awarded a honorary doctorate from the Harvard, they are working on social, cultural and different fronts and she was very impressive.

 

On the way back we had a hell lot of fun on the buses and when we reached the station in the evening the train was leaving the platform and we were running like hell to catch it and in between there were calls from the group members to make sure we were on board, and then we were stopped by a cop to know that it is just shunting and is going to come back on to another platform, that second the reaction on the faces of people who missed it were despair, fear, anxiety but some were still cool and playing around and have made up their mind to catch the train in the next destination..

 

The Strange interview…

We boarded the train, had dinner on board and I was literally having a bad throat and a high temperature, then I took a heavy dose of antibiotics and sat down with Richard bransons book to be interrupted by a guy to take a video about my views on his camcoder, what has begun as a fun session has really turned out to be a very good one, I am still awaiting to see that again….

 

I did not go that night’s session and I was fast asleep and the journey so far has taken its toll on my body…

 

08-Jan-09

Delhi- The face of India…

We have reached the national capital and it was the coldest part and I was really having a tough time, every thing frozen in my body early. On the next platform was the costliest train of Indian Railways – The Royal Rajasthan on wheels in a golden yellow color, we were delighted to see that as any school going kid does. We quickly moved on to a hotel nearby to make our self look good after a tedious journey, we were firing up the engines to make sure that we would be fit till the end of the journey.

 

Goonj- An emotional roller coaster………

Then we moved on to Goonj- an organization started by Anshu Gupta with a purpose of bringing a change to lives of the needy and changing the attitude of the people in general by making them aware of the stark reality. Some of us were moved to tears when we heard the plight of the people in the winter and it has made us more determined to be the change makers of this country. It was korea 30 years ago, the whole generation have dedicated their lives for the nation and today its India and we are the people.

 

The Media session and the train fiasco…………..

Then we moved to Taj Palace, for the media sessions, the highlight of the event was that Rajdeep Sardesai- the man behin CNN-IBN was present and an hour passed by as a minute. The next twist to our tale was that the pantry car on our train was not functioning and the Taj was generous to give us their ball room and provide lunch for all the people on board and we moved on to safdarjung staion later for another tale, some of the buses arrived early and we were not sure from which station the train would depart from, the organizers jumped in the right time and ended the jeopardy.

 

We were waiting in extreme cold temperature holding hands of one another, covering ourselves right from head to toe and the train arrived with a thundering applause from the yatris, we collected our water bottles and went on to sleep…..

 

09-Jan-09

Tiloniya- The Highlight of the Yatra…………..

The train stopped in a small village and we thought we were still on the way to our next stop and to our surprise it’s the place we are going to visit- its Tiloniya- a small village in Rajasthan. We jumped on to the platform to hear the traditional rajasthani music and when we reached the entrance of the station, it was a delight to the eyeball to see everyone dancing to their tunes. Then we walked down to the Barefoot college, on the way we have seen how the villagers- so called solar engineers have made the best use of the technology and are making the best use of the solar power, we saw the future of India – the kindergarten students running to us and their classrooms very in a dilapidated state.

The Best Hospitality………….

We then turned around for the moment of our life, all the students in the school standing in a line and holding their hands to say namaste, I was more than overjoyed and in the back of my mind resonated I have never reached such a state of happiness. Then we went to a makeshift venue to accommodate us and the traditional dance and song sequence still continuing for a while. Then we met and heard from the unsung heroes of that village, it’s the old campus and its heart rending to see how those people have dedicated their lives for uplifting the village.

We had lunch and we walked all the way to the new campus, its really good to see the countryside on the way and some of them fell in the fields while they were clicking pictureJ… lost in their own worldJ …

 

The Most Inspiring Session by Bunker Roi,

Then we had a session with Bunker roi, the man who has worked tirelessly for over three decades and has been instrumental in achieving this. He and his deeds have been recognized and he won accolades from the people of  different countries.

 

He said women from Africa are the toughest, they come down here heart broken, fighting with the husband back home, they learn from the barefoot college, go back there, set up an enterprise, and live there as a tigress. He was narrating the odds he faced during his journey of transformation and made sure it was the burning desire which hade made him where he is today…

 

We proceeded to the station with these thoughts lingering and everyone was calm, once we came back to the station we got in to the engine and took snaps, we got in and the train started, I felt I would stay back there, my heart was longing to go back there…

 

10-jan-09

Ahmedabad………. Thoughts in the backdrop..

It was smritis voice in the morning waking us up and informing the train was behind schedule and we need to be ready, the train reached ahmedabad  and we had a good breakfast, my mind was thinking if there had been I would have visited the best management institute in the country and suddenly I heard the security calling us inside and the train started..

 

Anand……..

We were all in ethnic wear, everyone was a bit emotional since its going to be the last day of the yatra, the train reached Anand and then we moved on to the Sardar Vallabhai Patel memorial for the final media event and the valedictory session. It was really a memorial so well maintained and is a tribute to the great leader, the sprawling garden, the walk way , the hall, the letter written by him, the bronze statues, the photographs made me travel to a distant land..

 

The media session began and Mr.Sohail from the citigroup sent everyone in to rapture by his answers to the audience in the Q&A session.

Emotional Turmoil… The Valedictory Fuction……..

Then it was the most emotional part of the entire yatra, the valedictory session, Ms.Rewathi Prabhu made the first speech and ended with much difficulty, she was having a heavy heart and then the other organizers followed and expressed their feeling, Mr.Swapnil was at his best, not able to recollect what he wanted to speak at that moment and just poured out his heart.Shashank and Raj were truly ecstatic and emotional up on the successful completion of the yatra, then we all  performed together the Jagriti geet with full rigor and when the people said one more time we started straight away. Then they presented us the mementos and we moved on to the buses which were already packed and proceeded to the station….

 

11-jan-09

Successful completion of the Yatra- A deep sense of satisfaction…….

We got up early in the morning and some of them even did not sleep the whole night to spend maximum time with the fellow yatris , the train reached Bombay Central and everyone got down to see people getting emotional and bidding adieu to their friends. It took more than an hour for the platform to get deserted, people were unwilling to leave..

 

At the end, we were taking loads of memories and learning which will surely prove helpful in undertaking current and future entrepreneurial endeavors which play a role in changing the face of the nation...