Aamir Khan once said he advises every youngster in the country to take a year off and travel from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. That’s the best way to learn. While this was not an option for me, when I decided to move back from California to India, little did I know there was a very cool opportunity waiting for me.
Over the first six months of 2024, I explored multiple ideas. I tried to start something, gave a bunch of interviews in popular companies in the US and India, considered moving to Hong Kong, visited my dad’s office, and gave a lot of business to the cafes of Koregaon Park. I had over 25 versions of my CV saved on my computer. Sometimes, having too many opportunities and options is dangerous.
I don’t even remember where I first heard of it, but thanks to its name, I very randomly applied to Jagriti Yatra.
Did I know anyone who had attended it before? No. Later I found a bunch of alumni I knew.
Did I apply with the intention of going? No. I was going to simply rejoice knowing I got in.
Did I give my application my best? Yes. That is non-negotiable.
As a confused 24-year-old, I answered all the application questions to the best of my ability. Back then, I was working on my idea of bringing business analysis to traditional Indian businesses. That’s exactly what I do now. I remember talking about it very passionately in my video interview too.
When I heard I got in, I didn’t feel happy. I discussed it with a few friends I considered my advisors. Around that time, I was also considering another opportunity that felt equally exciting. The fact that it didn’t work out is the only reason I was able to attend the Yatra. It was fate.
One week before I left, I experienced a traumatic medical emergency—serious enough to have a valid reason to back out without looking like a coward. I remember telling the doctor, “You have one week to fix me, because that’s when I leave for a 15-day trip.” He looked confused but got to work. The entire week, I was in a daze.
“I’m so proud of you, Jagruti, for doing this.”
That’s what everyone told me. Maybe that’s what pushed me to actually go. I packed my bag six hours before I was supposed to leave for Mumbai. Until then, no one really thought I was going.
Actually, strike that—no one even expected me to complete the Yatra. A part of me was banking on the air connectivity in India. I could just fly back from whichever city I wanted. That was my safety net.
Take it one day at a time. Once done, come home.
You know what helped? Hearing success stories before we even got on the train. How people met their co-founders there and built companies now worth millions. How someone changed the lives of women in their village. How many kept coming back year after year because the transformation was addictive.
I also got lucky. I met two girls on the porch, and we bonded over the best lip balms in town. I’d like to believe we kept each other sane for the next 15 days.
Over the next two weeks, I saw and experienced a lot. Each was a “never have I ever” moment:
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Took a head bath at 2am in freezing cold water on a moving train (West Bengal).
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Slept in a haveli with no doors or boundary (Deoria).
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Hung out with a family in Bihar and got invited to see pumpkins growing on their terrace (Deoria).
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Stood on the engine of a train, holding the national flag, feeling a wave of pride (Delhi).
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Watched Chandrayaan 2 take off at ISRO’s Mission Control Center (Sriharikota).
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Danced on a railway platform because it was our makeshift club for the day (Brahmapur).
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Hosted a Sindhi’s-only meal and a D2C enthusiasts roundtable—all while living on a train (Jaipur).
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Cried during someone’s presentation of their “why” because it moved me in ways no gratitude list ever could (Goonj, Delhi).
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Reworked my idea-bank multiple times a day because inspiration wouldn’t stop (Across India).
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Stood up to bully, because if not now, then never.
At the end of the Yatra, I didn’t feel like a new person. No caterpillar-to-butterfly moment. Instead, I came back with a minifying lens—like a door peephole, but better. It became second nature to zoom in on the details that actually matter and see the bigger picture more clearly.
When I boarded the train in December, I was working on a cosmetic brand for women in the top 5% of Tier 1 cities. By the end of the Yatra, it had evolved into a marketplace for clean brands—making sustainable lifestyles affordable and accessible to a much larger part of India.
Travelling to 12 cities showed me the India that exists beyond our curated feeds:
The India with problems, but also with the talent to solve them.
The India with bureaucratic roadblocks, but also with youth who refuses to quit.
The India where some leave, and the India where some stay to build.
This Independence Day, I’m thinking of that India.
The one I saw from a train window, in a village courtyard, on a railway platform, and in the eyes of hundreds of strangers who felt like home.
The India I’m proud to belong to.
And the India I want to keep building for.
Worked on Yatra Saar, the official Jagriti Yatra magazine, capturing stories from 525 participants on a 15-day train journey across India. Read it here.
Love this journey and so proud of you – always