New Delhi: Shashank Mani Tripathi, a nationalist and a ‘yatri at heart’ launched his ‘Bharat Ek Swarnim Yatra’ about 25 five years ago, when India was turning 50. Over last few years, the Yatra has gained in strength and momentum and today it has earned the distinction of mobilizing thousands of youth in nation-building.
He is the founder of The Jagriti Yatra & Jagriti Enterprise Centre – Purvanchal and takes 500 youths on a journey of ‘real Bharat’ every year. The mission behind the Bharat Yatra is to encourage, inspire & stir the youth to come up with their idea on how to make India great and how to change a billion lives.
In a conversation with Newsroompost, Shashank recalled his 25-year old journey & the time when he took the resolve to do something for the nation. He says that when India was celebrating 50 years of Independence, he took leave from office and took 200 youths on an India tour for 20 days – via train.
In what started as a one-off project to mark 50 years of India’s independence, has gone on to become a full-fledged initiative, aimed at promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship in the country.
Behind The Jagriti’s yearly ‘Bharat Yatra’ for 500 youngsters, Shashank Mani says that the vision is to encourage youth participation in nation-building while supporting them with the means & skills to achieve the objective.
He says that the nation is standing at critical juncture today and we must not miss the bus in realizing & harnessing the potential of youth.
“Most of our population including youth & women are young. It’s time that we empower them and seek their contribution in empowering the nation, else we will regret it later,” he said.
He says that the ‘real Bharat’ living in Tier II & Tier III cities is craving for its voices to be heard and is raring to take the plunge.
“The onus is upon us to make the medium available to them,” he says.
4 dhams across nation, as entrepreneurial centres
When he launched Jagriti Yatra about 14 years ago, he envisaged a dream to make the common people, a participant in India’s road to growth & prosperity.
On lines of 4 spiritual centres/dhams set up Shankaracharya, the US-returned corporate plans to raise 4 entrepreneurial centres in 4 corners of the country, which will prop up locals with opportunities & a dream. The 1st ‘dham’ is under construction in his home-town Deoria, being built over an area of 6 acres. Rest 3 are likely to come up in Kanyakumari, Odisha, Nagpur.
He says out of 750 districts in the country, about 240 districts come in Tier II & Tier III category and it is this region that houses about 60% of India’s population.
“It is this population and its potential that needs to be tapped in,” he says.
Engaging the youth and women are among his top priorities, as he believes that not even 50% potential of the nation’s women power is being utilized.
He says that going forward, focus should be making women an equal participant in nation-building & not just talking of their empowerment.
“Not just naari vikas but desh ke nirmaan mein naari shakti ka saath, should be the motto,” he says.
Stressing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s repeated emphasis on empowering the women with education & skills, he says that unless women & youth of the country join the campaign, the mission won’t see expected results.
Lastly, he says that the time is now as India is young and raring to go. Nothing should stop us in realizing the dream the foundation of which was laid by our forefathers.
