It’s a reflection, raw, unfiltered and purely from my own experiences. A 15 day train journey - “Train? YJHD 2.0, would be fun”
What is the journey about? - “Entrepreneurship”
What? I am from a creative field, is it any useful? What’s the purpose? - “Not clear”
My friend got into it. Should I also try? - “Anything you do in life doesn’t go in vain, it can prove beneficial in some or the other form. Let me try”
Yes, without having any clue about the reasons for applying for the Jagriti Yatra, I did apply. May be it was to challenge myself if I can make through the selection process, or may be to test if I can even write for it.
Got selected - Continued lingering doubts on why should I go for it.
Wasting money? Wasting time? Wake up at 6 every day? 500+ people? - “I need not talk to everybody, I have my best friend along with me. I can manage?”
Boarding the dimly lit train in the midnight, overcrowded with people pushing to get into their respective compartments - my Yatra kicked off with a bang!
So, there I was, stressing about how I would wake up at 6 a.m. every single day. But you know what? That wasn’t even the hardest part. The real challenge was carving out my own little space in the midst of all the chaos and commotion happening around me. My eyes were full of people and tired of the view.
Thank goodness for my hometown friend, who became my lifeline and kept assuring me that everything would be okay.
As I listened to the stories of people I met along the way, as much as they were interesting, they made me feel small and insignificant. It intensified the internal conflict I had as I thought of coming to the Yatra.
It took me sometime to realise that we all are chasing lives and dreams at different paces, and on different tracks. Instead of feeling overwhelmed I should be inspired and be grateful for my own journey.
Some memories stayed with me for a little longer. Some moments brought me back to being happy to where I was in life and to live it to the fullest.
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One of my Yatra friends told me that if I get the opportunity to experience the changing landscapes through a small window with my close friend, then why not?
From bathing in a moving train to skipping it due to frigid temperature (still not very proud about it) to randomly making a dance reel, on the song I never thought to sneaking away from the auditorium to roam around and eat, these meant a great deal to me. It was coming out of my comfort zone.
Amidst the sessions, and finding myself lost, I played tic tac toe, Bollywood and chatted with my friend at the last page of my diary. Those moments were saviour!
To me it was more about the people I met
Right on the first day of the train journey, my cohort members saved breakfast for me. In my 22 years of life, making connections have never been this effortless. One thing I am grateful for is people I have become friends with. Not for a second I thought I would make friends!
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I laughed, I cried, I danced, I played, I looked for excuses to run away from bumping into people, and kept questioning my decision to come to the Yatra till the very last day.
But it was quite a journey and definitely once in a lifetime experience. What it does and mean to everyone is different for different individuals.
Months later when I am reflecting I feel proud of myself for having experienced it. And I am grateful for these memories in this ride of self - discovery.
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