Impressions of 4th Chinna Shodha yatra
The chinna Shodha Yatra is an amazing opportunity for those who have the will to know more about "real" india and to learn from the rural parts of india, practical, useful, and sustainable knowledge.This yatra has definitely taught me a lot. The four gurus- nature, the villagers, my fellow yatris and me myself have made this yatra of mine a truly wonderful, memorable and informative.

Nature is something we, urban people are neglecting a lot, it is a pity that we consider ourselves to be more supreme compared to the rural people even though we disrespect and don't care about our very valuable resources without which we cannot survive. It is not very surprising for me to know how much rural people depend upon their surroundings, from food to water to medicine. But what I found surprising was the respect villagers give towards the nature and how they repay it .From this yatra I have learnt a very important lesson to respect nature and give back how much ever we take.

It is indeed very shameful for us urbanites to consider villagers and villages to be "backward" or "not-developed". The lives lead by the villagers was very prosperous, and each one of them took good care of us and guided us well. I was also impressed by their hospitality.
From this yatra I have learnt from our villagers that it is our responsibility to change the stereotype about villagers and villages being "backward" or "under-developed".

My fellow yatris have become very close friends in a very short time, I have gained a lot of exposure form so many kinds of people, from IITans to innovators to students like me.Infact I considered them to be my family members of mine during the yatra.These friends who I have made in this yatra will be friends of mine forever.

Overall I learnt that the villages of India are really temples of knowledge and that we have so much to learn from them and that there is no need for us to go there and "teach" them how to be civilised and how to "develop" themselves. I have also learnt that development need not necessarily mean good infrastructure, malls, 5 star hotels etc. but instead is a very sustainable, eco-friendly and inter-dependant society which results in mutual happiness.

I will surely be looking forward for the next Shodha Yatras, and will definitely reccommend others to attend it too!