In today’s world of social media, connecting to people is part of our modern lifestyle. A lot of content is dedicated towards how one can reconnect to nature and people while travelling. Exploring one’s self is also in trend these days. But, what do we miss in all this is the deep sense of connection.
And, to fill that gap, events like Shodh Yatra are being organized by Honey Bee Network under the supervision of Padma Shri awardee professor Anil Gupta, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 2004 for his contribution to management education.
The 17th student’s edition of Shodh Yatra was held in Dharamshal, Himachal Pradesh in which 30 students from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) participated. The five-day long Yarta (September 6-10) was focused on connecting students with nature, people and their local-knowledge system while going for on-foot journey from Dharmashala to Palampur. The Yarta was designed in a way where students could meet local enthusiast/innovators during their journey, who have been working towards building something different or new for the benefit of society at large.
Professor Gupta curated and designed Shodh Yarta, which means research walk for the students to give exposure to the remotest part of the country and a platform to meet and learn from local communities. The first edition took place in 1998 in Gujarat.
Speaking to SSZee Media, professor Gupta informed that so far he has walked in every state of the country. “In summer we go to hot places, in winters we go to cold places and in autumn we come to Himalayas. The Autumn Shodh Yatra is only for the students of IIMA. The other two editions are open for everyone,” he said.
Shodh Yatra’s purpose is to take learning from four teachers—teacher within, teacher around, teacher in nature and teacher among common people. “Our purpose is to meet the innovators and social change agents such as budding entrepreneur, environmental group,” shared Gupta.
“We want students to learn the hardship that people face and we don’t assure them any comfort during Yatra. And, also meet the change agents so that they understand that with much less resources people are trying to bring bigger change,” added Gupta.
Vandana, one of the participants of Shodh Yatra spoke about her unique experience said, “This journey allowed me to connect with myself and the local community on a deeper level. In our fast-paced city lives, we often get caught up in technology and comfort, forgetting the essence of a simple, minimalistic lifestyle. This experience served as a reminder and enabled me to reflect on my life choices”.
For Vandana, who is passionate for women’s empowerment through a social enterprise, Shodh Yatra was a journey of impactful realization. From learning to appreciate the value of community, sustainability, and the importance of preserving our environment, she found path for self-discovery and appreciation for a simpler way of life.
“I used to believe that I needed to amass substantial resources before I could make a meaningful difference in this area (women’s empowerment). However, my perspective changed when I interacted with the principal of a school for differently-abled individuals and visited Shri Satya Sai Vidya Mandir,” said Vandana.
“Meeting these dedicated individuals, who were making a significant impact with limited resources, made me realize that it’s not just about having vast resources; it’s about having the commitment and motivation to bring about positive change. Their unwavering dedication to their causes was inspiring and showed me that even with limited means; one can make a substantial difference in the lives of others. This realization has fueled my determination to work towards women’s empowerment and social change, regardless of the resources at my disposal,” she added.
Similarly, Anoop, another participant shared that Shodh Yatra was an eye-opening experience for him as it taught him to appreciate every aspect of lives without taking it for granted.
Anoop shared his observations of interacting with students, Self-Help Groups (SHGs), and grassroots entrepreneurs, said, “I have studied in a government college and did 12th grade from a village in Uttar Pradesh—at that time, there was a significant gap in exposure and access to advanced resources like internet-based classes. Today, I still see the same gap persisting. I understand the struggles I had to overcome to bridge this gap, but there is more work to be done, especially in government schools”.
He was amazed by the level of innovation displayed by rural entrepreneurs and noted that their needs mainly revolve around two aspects—finance and guidance. “Despite lacking extensive educational qualifications, they have impressive business plans. We, as students, tried to provide guidance as we couldn’t directly support them financially,” said Anoop.
“Here, the women are incredibly focused on their goals. They require guidance more than anything else. Providing them with proper guidance can significantly improve their lives and create new sources of income, which would transform their families as well,” he added.
Students are evaluated by two or three different assignments after the completion of Shodh Yatra, informed Professor Gupta. “One of the assignments is given on what contribution we can make or suggestion should be made to this region where we have come for the economic and cultural development,” he said.
Navdeep Mathur, a professor at IIMA, who were also accompanying the students believes that Shodh Yatra is a way of developing the process of thinking of the students that is not available in classroom of IIMA.
“In college, students mostly are involved in theoretical knowledge and their practical experiences are majorly associated with big corporate companies. On Shodh Yatra, students learn from the ordinary people on the grassroots level,” said professor Mathur.
He also said that Shodh Yatra’s mission is to the break the mentally that bigger learning happens by talking or meeting with people who are companies CEO or government officers.
“On this journey we want students to come out of their comfort zone and learn from the ordinary people who are working towards environment, innovation, and agriculture. This gives students exposure about the diverse lifestyle and food practices,” he added.
Overall one can say that Shodh Yatra is to strengthen the hands of those who are bringing about positive change in the society. The courses idea is to help students to develop deeper empathy with the society and with the disadvantage people living in corners of our country.
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