Suraj hopes that the journey continues beyond Gramya Manthan

Contributor: Suraj Subhash Yadav

Gramya Manthan was a very magical journey!

A journey of Change... Change beginning from within.

It's a journey of Transformation...The transformation from I to We

A journey of Self Exploration... Taught me that everyone has a story!

Really, those 10 days of Gramya Manthan are the best days of my life! 

Those days brought various values

Introduced us to different souls; Souls who won't judge us

Such souls who accepted us whatever we are 

Those days gave us a new family.

Be it the Trust Fall activity where we fall from a height of 7 feet without even thinking any non-positive thought... Or the Life Maps where we shared our stories....!! 

Be it the Systems Thinking which reflected us how we are causing harm to nature and the interconnection among us 

Or the Food Simulation activity which showed us the harsh reality of the society and the inequalities prevailing here...!! 

Each of these activities unfolded a new learning... Made us think twice about what we were doing in our daily lives....!!

For me, Gramya Manthan was full of learning experience 

Learning to identify the difference between a cow's calf and a buffalo's calf, where I would generally end up making fun of myself....milking the cow.. fighting for the kairi with Tanya and yeah the words of Rachit bhaiya "Saare dramebaaz isi group me hai"....!! 

Singing in the house of villagers and especially for Priyanka Didi's marriage was fun. The days spent in Baraatshala where we served the villagers, sleeping below the open sky and trying to identify the stars, the bottle light dinner. At that point of time walking and working in the bright sunshine at a temperature of 47° C even didn't stop us from doing what we wanted to do...!!

The dedication what everyone had, the commitment we had, the self-confidence, the inner motivation always boosted us to do our work.

Gramya Manthan made me realize that there is only Black or White...there is no Grey...!! Understanding the Urban-Rural gap was very important to me... But there I realized that it's not the bank balance what matters it's the size of the heart that matters.

When I devote my attention towards the villagers what I could see is their happy faces without any expectations. The way they welcomed us, they served us is what we cannot find in the Concrete Forest i.e so-called 'Urban Space'. The way they cared for each one of us is what I would be missing in the Concrete Forest.

Each day, the circle taught something new, put us into questions that disturbed a lot. But I felt if it is having a positive effect then let this disturb us. Shashank bhaiya's (sleeping) meditation is something new to learn.....!! The way Prakhar bhaiya used to bring humor in the middle of serious talks was very different and will be missed majorly by me....!! Bobby, I would always remember you for the optimistic approach you had towards the role of a Pregnant Teen under the Step into Someone's Shoes activity where I couldn't resist myself from laughing from....!!

The day when I was returning, I wasn't leaving alone I had stories of different souls with me. Stories of authentic people, memories that will always remain cherished.

My sincere gratitude to Youth Alliance for giving me such a beautiful opportunity to explore myself, such a beautiful family, some never fading memories and some new learnings.

Just hope that my journey with such beautiful people always continues......!!