Going beyond the limits

Picking up from where we left off last week… it was off to the Himalayas! Our road trip had officially begun. For the next 12 days, it was going to be just us, the mountains and of course 'the river.' We comprised 24 potential change makers from India, Sri Lanka, UK and Finland (six participants per country). All 30 of us (inclusive of our respective country coordinators, excluding Finland's coordinator – who joined us towards the end of the project), trooped into our vehicles, and with Bollywood hits resonating throughout the hills, we set off on our pursuit of the celebrated Yamuna!

Our route took us through Mussoorie, where we were planning to spend one night with the intent of leaving early next morning. But, since three of our fellow Yatris were down with varied degrees of what is quite commonly called the 'Delhi Belly,' there was to be a small change in plans. But due to the quick and efficient arrangements made by our coordinators, and the abundance of tender loving care extended by all and sundry, we were soon reunited late the next morning, from where we all took off to Lakhamandal, our next destination.

As we proceeded further out of the realms of 'so-called' civilization, the sights and sounds of the environs surrounding us were simply breathtaking! Our first campsite was located in a valley in the very heart of the Himalayas. The sheer gargantuan nature of the mountains surrounding us and the force of the mighty Yamuna alongside our tents, gave us a real sense of how very little and insignificant we are in the greater scheme of things! And yet, how easily we seem to forget this reality in our continuous efforts to 'plunder the earth' whilst giving little or nothing in return!

The Youth Yatra being one of the main projects of the Swechha We For Change Foundation, is spearheaded by the vibrant and "passionate" Vimlendu Jha, along with his partner in crime cum Logistics Specialist – Sunny Verma, and the rest of the super efficient Swechha team. We were soon to discover that beneath the activist guise of the 'Dynamic Duo' there lay quite an abundance of talent, which manifests itself in the form of their very own band 'Jigry.' Thus, resulting in many an entertaining night filled with much song, dance and glee! Our coordinators were quite the 'all-inclusive' package!

On a more serious note, the manner in which they spoke, acted and thought throughout our one month with them, was quite clear evidence of their utmost dedication and commitment towards their work/cause. For instance, there were many occasions where Vimal (as most of us refer to him), would take us to some significant location along the riverbed, to ardently explain the impact of human behaviour on the river. Simultaneously if we were also to witness some perpetrators 'caught in the act' polluting the river (most often in the name of religion), Vimal would extend his explanation to them too, and question their actions and whether or not they realised the adverse consequences of their acts. Although, many understood him and even accepted his argument, to a great extent most were too blinded by religious beliefs and rituals to fully comprehend how their acts of utmost piety could harm the supposedly "invincible" Goddess Yamuna.

Among the objectives of the Youth Yatra, facilitating a dialogue between the participants, and bringing about inter-cultural exchange on youth leadership and life skills, capacity-building and other issues pertaining to society, economy, politics and culture, were foremost. Developing media reports, workshops and dissemination events, in our respective countries, after the completion of the Yatra, was yet another one of the project's main objectives. This dissemination component would be based on issues pertaining to environment, conflict resolution, identity, peace, arts and expressions, activism, youth work and a host of other areas.

Moving swiftly back to our adventures. During the Yatra, we encountered many facets of Indian culture that were both intriguing and fascinating. One being the village of Kharsali where we interacted with the community therein and got quite a good insight into their lifestyles.

The Poanta Sahib Gurdwara, which is one of the most famous Sikh temples in North India, was quite an eye-opener to many of us who hardly knew anything about the religion. The religion seemed to epitomize equality in every sense, irrespective of gender, caste or economic status. Yet another interesting place was the town of Vrindavan, which is apparently home to about 5,000 temples and shrines, one of which we visited via boat and even participated in an Aarti (pooja ritual especially at festivals). We also managed to catch a glimpse of the main attraction – a snake that makes an appearance from the water at the foot of the steps where the priest conducts the pooja.

However, perhaps the highlight of the entire Yatra for us was the trek up the snowy Himalayas! Not only was it a challenge for us physically, but we'd have to say it was more so a test of our mental endurance. A lot of the blame might have to go to our ignorance of just how trying a 5kms trek up a mountain was! That being said, conquering the mountain and more importantly living to tell the tale (!), was an unimaginable sense of accomplishment in itself! The warm natural sulphur springs awaiting us atop the mountain at the Yamunotri temple, was well worth the effort. But, what was truly momentous (besides the mountain itself that is), is that we pushed ourselves beyond all limits that we had previously set for ourselves, thus, proving that anything is possible, if we only push ourselves hard enough!