By Pawan Khera and Manish Khanduri
Under today’s blue skies and with pleasant weather; Dinbandhu Bopai, Bharat Yatri, believes he could have walked “five or six kilometres more” than the approximately 13 kilometres walk from KB Cross, Tiptur to the midday break at Kanaka Bhavana, Chikkanayakanahalli.
Yatri Dinbandhu Boipai is struck by the affection showered by women and children to the Bharat Jodo Yatris
Along the mostly rural landscape the Yatris were met by locals lining the roads outside their village homes. “The women and children in particular” says Bopai “Have been very receptive to us and displayed a lot of affection. There was a great feeling of togetherness.”
It may be noted that the previous day had witnessed the inauguration program of the #BharatJodoYatra in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. While it is not due in Maharashtra for weeks yet, it was a sign of the huge organization and preparation work behind the yatra. The campaign involves live Yatra broadcast in 1239 Kolhapur villages for 100 days through LED mobile screen vehicles.
A summing up of the recent past – yesterday the #BharatJodoYatra completed its thirty first day. It has been a tumultuous, exciting month that has yielded iconic moments, undying memories and in the process established a tremendous resonance with the common people. It has admittedly not been easy – mobilising tens of thousands of people, walking twenty plus kilometres per day in all weather conditions is difficult. But the results are best summarised by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh who told the press that “While the response in Tamil Nadu was good and in Kerala phenomenal, in Karnataka it has far exceeded our expectation, which has made the BJP nervous and putting its dirty tricks department on overtime duty.”
The Bharat Jodo Yatra is presently in the state of Karnataka. Over 21 days in the state, it will cover 511 kilometres.
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.
Midday Travel Facts
1. Current District Name -Tumkur
2. Raja Ramanna famous Indian nuclear physicist was froTumkur
3. The district is also known as ‘Kalpataru Nadu’ (land of coconuts), for its production of coconuts. It contributes more than 1/3rd of total coconut production in Karnataka.
4. Mahatma Gandhi visited Tumakuru district on 1943 as part of his campaign to extend the scope of the independence movement