When India Is My Canvas

Day 1 of the rest of my life really began when I did what was then called the Azad Bharat Rail Yatra in 1997 - one year into my undergraduate course with 200 strangers, all of us on a journey to discover India and chart her course for the next 50 years.

- Priya Jayaraman

As much as it was about what we did in the Yatra, for me, it was 25 days of life lived on my terms, my choices, working on no judgements and with motivated folk, and all of this on a train. It opened up doors to who I am today. I was mesmerized by the talks on impact, society, India and the world by every person I met on the train and all the local leaders that we met at every step of the way. Each and every participant played a pivotal role in my outlook towards the world, business and personal life.

This journey opened up India to me in a way no history lesson had ever attempted. When I look back 21 years ago, it all adds up – as people, our value systems, the fact that we are the world’s largest democracy, and just 50 years ago, we weren’t even independent!