TJY Specials...

Its Jan 11, the morning air seems to be something different. It’s not all the chaos and havoc to rush to bathrooms and toilets to get ready quickly. We were approaching to our final destination Mumbai Central after completing the long, exciting and unforgettable journey across India covering 13 cities from down South to East to North and West. For most of us like me I didn’t want to end this journey as it has given so much to all of us that no one would have expected from it. When I came to know about this Yatra, I compared the same with the TV reality show ‘Big Boss’ but with a difference of not being locked in a house but in a train and travelling various parts of India and meeting different role models and people of high caliber. It’s a different world altogether and a journey of lifetime which each of one experienced at the end. So many things to be recalled and will write on each day separately. The one especially for boys was the experience using toilets to take bath. The first night in train when as a facilitator got buckets and mugs for toilets, I understood that we might not get enough chance to use the common bathrooms as it was mend only to serve girls or I can say the priority was obviously for them. That’s the reason we thought of having that converted coach near the girls compartment. It was chaos and confusion during the initial part of the journey for using bathrooms but later on the time slots was decided and announced using the common speaker from the control room. But like me many boys were used to use toilets for taking bath and we in our compartment made one toilet to be used for taking bath. There was also one disconnected bathroom and our group was the first to use that when our train was on halt at Kochivelli (near to Trivandrum) station. Taking bath always was a pain as we need to get up early and join the queue. I used to take bath daily and sometimes twice a day hence for me it was a good experience. Also to take bath in a running train is another hell of a fun as you need to keep yourself balanced. Also when we moved towards north to Jamshedpur, Lucknow, Delhi, the climate was very cold and we didn’t have any provision for hot water. But then also few brave of us took bath with the cold (chilled) water. Also so many of us lost the soap dipping in toilet hole and need to get new, funny right.

The next thing was about food served. We and personally I never thought and expected to get such nice food not just one day but throughout 18 days of Yatra. We have been served with so many wonderful dishes starting from day 1. Hats Off to the catering staff and all of us are very thankful to them. It was not about different varieties but also the quality they maintained. We got one opportunity during New Years Eve when we decided to felicitate the catering staff. We had differences with the organizing team initially to spend all the money in celebrations but they understood when we told the cause and split the money to achieve both. I personally thank them all and heartiest thanks to all my friends who contributed with physical labor to arrange a memorable New Year. It was the finest New Year start that we all could have made and we felt that we served a part of the Yatra and maintained the true Spirit. For that we all got a nice word of appreciation from Shashank Sir and Revathi Mam.

The next big thing about the Yatra was the Role Model visits. It opened up a broad spectrum of life and gave so much that no one can thought of in his/her dreams. To me personally I felt that it’s not always about money that we should work for. Something in life deserves your attention and as a responsible citizen we need to serve the society. That one feeling of serving others in various different means is what I achieved. Also it’s not all about serving your family & friends but out of the comfort zone to help the needy ones. A few role models and organizations that impacted me and will always be in my mind is Dr. V of Aravind Eye Care, Naandi Foundation and Mr. Manoj Kumar, the CEO, Goonj in Delhi and its Head Mr. Anshu Gupta and his Wife. These people had given so much to the society that I really felt shameful of myself. We used to talk about growing big about our country India, but where actually India exists we are not at all concerned. Few teachings I got from these is to never lost patience, start simple, grow steady, maintain sustainability, target people and make them join with the mission.

So many things to share and I will do that in my story in detail. The morning wake up call in train, the songs from bollywood and Hollywood movies, if we didn’t like the song we mute the speaker, the songs which we like we use to dance together. All the common announcements in train via control room and trying to avoid sometimes. The smiling and cheering faces of the yatris and managing team, getting off from the train to rush to the buses, the direction team management to guide yatris, finding a nice window seat to capture the city in cam, the sleeping in the common room and during sessions and visits. Trying to remember as many faces and names, especially of Girls. Playing games, singing songs, dancing in train, buses, platform and the list goes on and on and on.

Also a very exciting and emotional end of the Yatra the last night in Anand. With all the managing team sharing their last word. And this I put intentionally at the end is the singing of ‘Yaaron Chalo…’ It really became the anthem of this Yatra and we not only sang at all times but we danced and mimicked few people performing that also. We have reached Mumbai and now all back to their life, work, and college. But now we are a different person altogether that won’t think the way we used to 20 days back. And I hope that we from 350 can and will surely do that will make this Yatra worth, also at the end of the day we all want to sleep in peace and what best you can get if you can bring smile not on thousands or millions right now, but to only few. I wish all of us a very best of luck in life and we as a team can really bring out a change and difference in India.

Take Care

Abdul Qadir

TJY Yatri, 2008

NOTE: Please ignore grammatical mistakes and spell checks J