Pawan Khera and Manish Khanduri
For Akshay Yadav, Bharat Yatri, the large crowds that now attend the #BharatJodoYatra are slowly becoming the norm. “Today it seems that there were people everywhere we went, and every now and then we’d see large groups of people congregated to greet us.”
Yatri Akshay Yadav is struck by the participation of youth in the Yatra.
But what strikes Yadav more than the usual, is the enthusiastic presence and participation of women and children. “It’s remarkable” he says, “To see them turn out in such large numbers. It’s a different kind of josh (enthusiasm).”
Indeed the Yatris were feted every step of the way by large crowds and enthusiastic participants. Earlier in the afternoon a select group of Yatris met with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. This is part of a regularly held series of interactions between the Yatris and Gandhi. For Yatri Roshan Lal Bittu it was an energizing experience. “He is an inspiring presence – so simple and so approachable.”
Yatri Roshan Lal Bittu was inspired to meet Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.
The Yatris walked from the BHEL bus stand to the end of their journey in Muthanga. Along the way they were accompanied by a number of distinguished individuals, including Kancha Ilaiah – a writer and Dalit activist, and Sathaiah Kolluri, Dalit philanthropist and President of the Phule Ambedkar Society. Incidentally, in an event that was highlighted in the media, along the way today a lady who fell down while walking was helped by Gandhi personally.
Currently in the state of Telangana, the Bharat Jodo Yatra is a five month, 3500 kilometre long Padyatra from Kanyakumari in the South of India to Kashmir up in the North. It is part of the party’s national mass outreach program aimed at highlighting social polarisation, economic inequalities and political centralisation.
Ground research: Aparna Ashwarya (INC Communications Department research team)
End of Day Travel Facts
1. Current District/ City Names: Hyderabad City
2. The capital of Telangana, Hyderabad is the largest city of Telangana. It is the fourth most populous city in India
3. Hyderabad was once known for the pearl industry and was nicknamed the City of Pearls; and was the world’s only trading centre for Golconda diamonds.
4. Since the 1990s, the city has emerged as a hub for Pharma and Biotech.
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