Aravind Eye Hospital auditorium was vibrating with youthful exuberance on Sunday morning.
A group of 450 youths, aged between 20 and 27, from various parts of the country, congregated with a single mission — to become entrepreneurs through learning ideas, studying projects and meeting successful people. They came to Madurai on ‘Jagriti Yatra,’ a 15-day train journey that takes them to 12 destinations where they get to meet successful entrepreneurs who created solutions to India’s development challenges by starting their own enterprises.
“This is the seventh edition of the yatra. By giving exposure to young people, we can put them on the path of entrepreneurship. Instead of being job-seekers, they can become job-givers. Catching them young is the idea,” says Raj Krishnamurthy, Board member, Jagriti Sewa Sansthan.
During their one-day trip to Madurai, the yatris had an informal meeting with S. Aravind, Director (Projects), Aravind Eye Hospital, to hear him talk about the successful model that evolved over the years to make it a premier eye care facility.
“I told them to bubble with optimism all the time. The youngsters’ enthusiasm is amazing and we have to channelise that energy to make them entrepreneurs. I advised them to walk slowly and be successful,” says Dr. Aravind.
The 8,000-km train journey began in Mumbai on December 24, and Hubli, Bengaluru, Madurai, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Berhampur, Rajgir, Deoria, Delhi, Tilonia and Ahmedabad find place in their itinerary.
Vibha Joshi, Director (selection), says this year’s participants come from 27 States with a fine blend of semi-urban and urban youths. Of the 450 yatris, 40 per cent are girls. “We received 17,000 applications and a 35-member panel evaluated them before finalising the list. There are a few participants from abroad,” she adds.
The Jagriti Yatra organisers are making an impact study on how those who travelled in the last six years had succeeded in starting their own business enterprises. The journey costs Rs 60,000 per individual and sponsorships are available for deserving candidates. This year’s prime sponsor is Google.
Next yatraRegistrations are open for the 2015-yatra. Interested youth can visit the website www.jagritiyatra.com.
