4 years of Gramya Manthan within Tejal

Contributor: Tejal Rajyagor

I was part of the first Gramya Manthan in 2012 and from then on I have been part of Youth Alliance’s journey, sometimes actively but mostly as a witness from far. I think Gramya Manthan is a journey both within and without and that is the best and unique thing about it. The developmental work we see around these days focuses a lot on direct interventions and impact generation. Amid this very few programs are working to create a space where people who are working on or wish to work on direct interventions, are nourished and nurtured. Youth Alliance through Gramya Manthan does that. The nine days spent in a village near Kanpur, where most of the things that I or a young city person experiences are like phenomena are ordinary things experienced by the people in the villages every day! When you experience such external duality, it pushes you to look within, question your beliefs, values and ideas of change. And I think that is what the program focuses on - creating a space for the participants to reflect, question and explore. 

I really like that the program does not focus or promises direct changes or interventions in the villages but emphasizes on listening and empathy. To me, very subtly they are shifting the narrative of how urban India looks at rural India. A normal rural immersion program would focus on developing the village, making changes for the betterment thereby thinking that ‘we’ who come from cities know and have the power to change. But I think what Gramya Manthan is attempting is to create an equal space for everyone who is there, the participants and the village people. So no one is coming from a space that ‘I know better’ or that ‘this needs to change’ but it speaks the language of ‘let’s listen to one another’. 

So be it a 19yr old who goes to Hindu College in Delhi or a 21yr old from Kapurthala in Lucknow or a 27 yr old from Mumbai, being listened to and feel belonged is the need that all of us have. And the processes in Gramya Manthan create a sense of community within the participants and between participants and villagers which fulfill these needs with lot of love and trust. 

All of this ‘heart work’ is very difficult to measure in terms of impact and sadly the narrative of funding we have currently requires agencies to look at ‘tangible’ ‘measurable’ things that the program delivers. So what Gramya Manthan gave to me in tangible terms is community, people who are on a similar journey as me, people who make me feel that I am not alone! And both before and during the time I was with Ashiyana, conversations with Prakhar (Founder, Youth Alliance) and other members of Youth Alliance have been a source of strength and love which I regard as a really great impact! 

As for what better can be done by them, I would say putting in more energy and effort in strengthening the existing community of alumni and creating spaces where they connect with each other and also where organization can support their journey beyond the program. So far it has been happening informally and also with limited people, the need perhaps is to have a program designed for it to be done on a sustained basis.