By Pawan Khera and Manish Khanduri
(With inputs from Gaurav Pandhi)

For a long time they waited for the Bharat Yatris, first under a very slight early morning drizzle, and then as temperatures started to rise. People such as Francis, who stood just under the flyover at Kodakara had been waiting for two hours. A few hundred metres down the road, a young couple Nitin and Sidisha, who had walked across the the national highway and were standing with a 10 month old baby – Nayika – said to us, with excitement in her voice “l hope we get to see Rahul, and maybe even talk to him”.

In the early morning, Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar and AICC Secretary Vaibhav Walia (both Bharat Yatris) were present at a tree planting ceremony. Walia said, “There is a belief that, in our own humble way, history is being made as the Yatris walk through India. The sapling planting ceremony was our way of appreciating the opportunity to participate in the yatra”.

As the morning wore on, the temperatures kept rising, but so did the enthusiasm of the Bharat Yatris who were cheered on by the people of Thrissur district. They took their midday break after a 23 kilometre walk that commenced from Perambra Junction, ending at Amballur Junction.

The yatris marched through a region rich in culture and history. Thrissur, one of the most prominent districts of Kerala, played a leading role during India’s struggle for freedom from the British. Mahatma Gandhi visited the city in 1927 and 1934 as part of his freedom campaigns.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra is presently in the state of Kerala. Over 19 days in the state, it will cover 7 districts over 450 kilometres, before it commences in Karnataka on October 1.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra is a five month, 3500 kilometre long padyatra from Kanyakumari in the South of India to Srinagar in the North. It is part of the party’s national mass outreach program aimed at highlighting social polarisation, economic inequalities and political centralisation

Source for ground research: Aparna Ashwarya (INC Communications Department research team)

Midday Travel Facts

1. Route traveled/ major settlements: Perambra Junction – Amballur Junction
2. Current District Name – Thrissur
3. The Indian Independence Movement gained momentum after a committee of the Indian National Congress was formed in Thrissur district in 1919.
4. The Guruvayur Satyagraha, a nationwide movement for temple entry and against untouchability started in Thrissur, led by Gandhi disciple K.Kelappan, who was also a prominent leader of the Indian National Congress.
5. The district of Thrissur was a major participant in Gandhi ji’s call for action during the Civil Disobedience Movement