IMPRESSIONS

19 CSY : Impressions of Varun Reddy

Hi Sir,
Please find below my impressions of Csy 19 and thank you for conducting the yatras :)
For me Shodha Yatra was a great learning experience . Actually the learning was more about unlearning what I assumed about our villages and villagers. Ganesham sir has shown me what a teacher, leader can and should be like.  

Each yatri had a unique and  important contribution to make this yatra such a rich experience. I fell grateful to Palle Srujana for giving me so many good hearted and like minded friends!

Walking for three days along with sir has shown me the tremendous amount of knowledge and wisdom that nature offers and also how to learn from it.

An obvious implication is that the villages are highly knowledgeable as they are more in harmony with nature and I’ve seen it for myself.

 I think this is resulting in villages having simpler, contented, healthier and peaceful lifestyles despite poverty (more predominant in villages as compared to cities) and lack of luxuries as compared to cities. May be beyond a point, what we earn and how luxuriously we live are less important as compared to our engagement and attitude towards various life forms and ourselves.

Sir shared with us stories of Grass Root Innovators on the way which humbled me. Such great work with the little access they had!!? Simplicity was their weapon whereas passion, pain, empathy and necessity drove them. 

 On the other side of the coin, these villages, the soul of our country are being neglected by the formal sector and its a painful sight. Villages do not deserve the denial they are subject to I felt. We have scouted a few problems in the village too regarding health, agriculture, weaving among others.

 Some striking memories of the yatra include the welcoming and humble villagers, Vijay Kumar sir’s speech on organic farming and how he is helping farmers to take up Organic farming through Vennela Foundation, healing walks in the nature, the almost ideal village ‘Adavicherlapalli’ we stayed at where no man in the village neither drinks nor smokes and the entire village is trying to shift to organic farming and the architecture in the villages.
Overall, yatra has given me experiences, perspectives and knowledge through which some of my prejudices regarding health, life in villages, attitude towards difficult situations and people has changed which will result in me making a few amendments in my life. Above all, I had an opportunity to know wonderful people.

 Thank you Palle Srujana! Looking forward to join the next yatra 
Thanks,
Varun Reddy