This local girl has been hand-picked from 17,000 applicants to be a part of the Jagriti Yatra.
Meghana S Belavadi
As most unwrapped their Christmas presents and cheered over plum cakes, hundreds of youngsters have been making their way across the country. Not on vacation, but in the hope of bringing the joy and happiness associated with the festival into peoples’ lives. Called the Jagriti Yatra, the world’s largest train journey, is touted for building India through enterprise and city lass Meghana S Belavadi was hand-picked amongst thousands to be on it. On what will be a journey of a lifetime, this 22-year-old will chug along in a specially commissioned 18-coach train to encourage social entrepreneurship across the country and meet some of the country’s brightest minds along the way – something that nation builders such as Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Sam Pitroda, Meera Sanyal, and Dr RA Mashelkar were previously associated with.
Now in its seventh edition, Meghana believes this to be a fabulous first step in nation building. “Campaigns such as this one will help youngsters like us observe issues at a grass root level and understand our role and responsibilities better,” says the International business graduate from Mount Carmel College. Out of over 17,000 applicants, Meghana was among the 450 youngsters, chosen for the annual journey that traverses across the country over 15 days, thanks to her drive towards the society. “My thoughts fall directly in line with the motive of the campaign,” she explains. “I’m looking forward to meeting Anshu Gupta, the founder of Goonj, a New Delhi-based NGO that tirelessly works towards rural development and empowerment of women,” says Meghana, for whom this will be another glorious feather in a cap that is already embellished with being the President of the State Youth committee – The Bharat Scouts and Guides, bagging the Rashtrapathi Guide award, sipping on tea in the presidential palace at Singapore – on invitation, being Google’s student ambassador and representing India at various international conferences.
Through this programme, the Bengaluru lass and her fellow youth contingent will learn more about the real India, “And all through exceptional change-makers, who have and are still playing a role in transforming India such as R. Elango, Narayan Murthy, Bunker Roy, Joe Madiath and Harish Hande whom we’ll get to personally,” says Meghana about the unique Indian experiment which is now gaining global footprints by being replicated all over the world including the Millennial Train Journey in the USA and Ticket-for-Change in France by Jagriti alumni.
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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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