20th Chinna Shodha Yatra

By Palle Srujana Hanimireddy Palli to Kambala palli,

District Ananthapur, A.P. September 23-25, 2016


IMPRESSIONS

Impressions of Of Sudha – 20 CSY

First and foremost, heartfelt thanks for organising this yatra and allowing me to participate in it. This experience is one of a kind as we were able to interact directly with the people and gain an insight into their lifestyles. This walk is in search of grassroot innovators, and we were lucky to find Amarnath, a shy young villager who had created a prototype of a prosthetic hand that would help the armless man function seamlessly, complete with design and model. We were also totally charmed by the articulate herbal healer for animals in his eighties who had pearls of wisdom from a rich life experienced by him. The Indian hospitality never ceases to amaze me, that people trust their homes to total strangers without a second thought. I felt severely handicapped as I could not speak the language, this is something that non-Telugu speakers would need to keep in mind if participating in the chinna shodhyatra. It was frustrating at times as I wanted to have conversations with the women and children, who were eager to share, but I was helpless. I recommend a short crash course in Telugu; that would definitely help. Anantpur also welcomed us with wonderful weather conditions and a beautiful landscape that made the 55-km walk a total pleasure. I was told that this is one of the drought-prone areas, but the three days there was a pleasant surprise – green luscious fields of tomatoes, red gram, groundnuts, papaya and mango groves, and a cloudy sky with a lovely breeze. It was a pleasure to be in the company of a lovely energetic team of around 40 shodhyatris under the kind leadership of Brigadier sir.  

 

Suggestions

Shodhyatris are asked to come with their cups and plates but they were not put to use. It would be better if we were not provided with plastic cups and plates so that the yatris get used to using their own cups and plates, which is definitely more ecofriendly. Thanks to Raju for organising the excellent meals and refreshments. 

 

Sudha K
Chennai



 

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