Mood Indigo: The mood of India!

Years back Tata Motors selected the name "Indigo" for their new sedan after Indica(India & car)from the theme India & GO!Today(23 Dec 08) after attending the final day of Mood Indigo - the annual cultural fest of IIT Bombay(yep the name has not changed,guess Raj missed out this one?)i also feel the same - India is on the GO!Ofcourse the organizers may not hav coined this name with this theme in mind but I feel they inadvertedly captured the general mood of todays youth in India:)

IIT Bombay is one of the best educational institutions in India which every year proudly churns out the elite class of "iitians" who are the best in the lot. I accidently reached IIT on the last day of their cultural fest to witness some of the interesting stalls like the ForceOne F1 team of Mallya with imported "girls" as models, painting stalls where ceramic,indian art are done on t-shirts and even a sperm bank where u can "sell" life (as advertised by them)to earn money!But i could particularly like to mention here about the final mega show of the fest-the Sonu Nigam show.For those who are not "Hindian", Sonu Nigam is one of the most popular playback singers in Bollywood who is a fav in stage shows. The queue for the 8pm show started from 4.30pm onwards even stretching a km or 2!Being not much of a Sonu fan or that case any stage show hero(my frnds will agree with this)i joined late in the queue by 7.45pm & tat too the IIT queue which is supposed to be an cakewalk compared to the normal queue.Being an impatient bug,i started fidgeting after the initial enthusiam of watching Sonu live for free:)Even 8.45pm we havnt reached anywhere near Sonu.But contrary to my frustrations,all the people,youth of age 18-25 were unprecedently quiet and anxious!!!They were not frustrated and they r not abusive(usual scenes in Indian queues),they were jus waiting patiently and praying also that they may get in on time.My buddies from IIT by whoe mercy i am inside this huge campus which is not at all a place for a guy like me to be in by any chance kept on insisting that i dont break away from the queue.By 9.30pm quards stopped everyone very near to the entrance,here every single person left quiet sad;instead of picking up a fight with the guards they were patiently pursuing others to leave the queue!

What happened to the Indian youth?The same youth who is boisterous;who gets angry and abusive quiet quickly in govt or any other queues;the youth who is very aggressive when it comes to their needs,the youth who will go to any length to achieve their needs are here seen to be quiet patient & well being!Is it becoz they are iitians?or is it the mumbaikars spirit?Not sure-but how i wished standing there-my legs paining,had this same youth who didnt' mind standing in the long queue for hrs without any use turn out in large nos with the same vigor & interest for the next general elections;had they showed the same interest to get their voters card which they don't do generally citing long queues & procedures!Had the same youth shown more patience & manners when they are waiting for bus or trains!I was suddenly pulled by my frnds who still have not dropped the idea of getting inside.They decided once again to take the same path as all guards left as the pgm is geting to an end.I also trudged alone unwillingly as there was no other option for me,before i know it i am standing very close to Sonu Nigam-the badshah of India music(tats wt they mentioned;not sure if he is one!).The people were all bathed in sweat of dancing & the show is geting to the final no.As if hearing my thoughts,Sonu took some time off in between the last no & said these words-"Guys u r the best in India,some of you might be the future leaders of India.I salute You!"hmm...my respect for him grew a bit...again he continued after singing for a while..."guys there is a site called www.karmayog.com,if u wana do something for our country jus check it out,i am not a promoter for this site but i hav hrd like that".I really got impressed with him.He presented a gud ans to my earlier doubt or dismay.

The youth of this country is very vibrant & at the same time teachable. You need different mediums & different creative ways to reach out to them. You need to speak their language;only then they will listen to ur words. How i wished our political leaders,govts,social organizations & all those involved in nation building & development who are working across India captured this Mood of Indian youth: Mood IndiGO!

Tata JagritiYatra 08

An adventure with 330 bright young participants, 70 experienced facilitators and organizers, 15 inspiring role models, 18 days, 13 cities, 1 Train and 8000 kilometers of exhilarating travel in a country called India!

Tata Jagriti Yatra '08 is an annual train journey that will take 350 of India’s highly motivated youth (with some participation of international students) between the ages of 18-25 on a eighteen day national odyssey, introducing them to unsung heroes of India. The aim is to awaken the spirit of entrepreneurship - both social and economic - within India’s youth by exposing them to individuals and institutions that are developing unique solutions to India’s challenges. Through this national event we will inspire them to lead and develop institutions nationally and within their communities. Read more about Tata Jagriti Yatra here: www.jagritiyatra.com.

Things that amused me as an Indian in Sydney!

1. Be ready to use lots of Hi,hello,thank you etc to all people you meet in a day. Even when geting down from a bus, you will have to say thank you to the driver. People in Australia are very good at courtesy & manners.

2. Carry all the waste that you have to the nearest destbin. During the event that i attended over 2.5lakh people were eating during breakfast,lunch,dinner etc with disposible items. But you wont see any waste items scattered around because all take care to deposit their waste items in the nearby litter box.

3. Be ready to stand in queue whether be in ticket counters,bus stands,counters etc. No one will try the easy root to the front of the queue neither will anyone expect you to jump the queue. Everything goes in a silent order & disciplined manner!

4. Dont think that you can jump up on a train or bus when you are late or jump down at the place you like because all doors are automatic in both trains & buses. Once it is closed not even God can open it up:) So always be on time. Dont worry if u r late becoz the next train or bus will be there within 10-15mins!

5. Road traffic is very disciplined mostly becoz there are no autos or 2 wheelers (u will once in a while see superbikes on the road). Its only cars & buses on the road. You have to cross the road through the zebra lines which are provided at every nook & corner. You can also press a button to change the lights to cross the road. It will take it as a request & give u the green signal at the respective intervals.

6. In railway stations, you have to take the ticket and swipe it to enter the platform. In bus, you hav to take the ticket from the driver itself before taking your seat. Only after all took tickets will they resume the bus journey.

7. In every street you will find a park with beautiful green lush lawns.

8. No dhabas, tea shops. All these things are replaced by vending machines. You give the required dollars, you will get back the packet of lays or coke.

9. You need to take parking tickets based on hours for parking your car and be ready to face police if you are late. If you don’t find police coming back after you for jumping any signal, don’t be relieved. You will soon get the fine ticket at home via post with photos of your car at the moment you broke the law! All the roads are monitored via GPS & cameras.

10. Past 6 months or so they hav started using GPS in their cars. Its a small device which u can carry around & fix in your car. If you dont know the way to a particualrr spot, just key in the street name,the GPS will guide you. You see the position of your car in the screen. Seat belt is a must for any seat be it back or front.

11. You won’t find water taps,jug or bucket in toilets which means you hav to learn to use toilet paper!

12. Toilets and bathrooms are seprate with bathrooms having a small glass enclosure with showers for bathing once again no taps!Everywhere you will find 2 taps one is marked hot and the other cold.

13. Don’t be shocked to see women smoking.Infact i saw more women smoking than men!The image of a pregnant lady smoking remains the only sad image from sydney!

14. You won’t find any beggars anywhere!Occasionaly you will see people sitting with instruments and collecting money for their music.

finally the last point is specially for the bachelors:)

15. Be ready to witness public display of affection anywhere you go maybe right infront of you(people who watch hollywood movies know what i meant)!!!But dont stare like you do in India, no one does that in abroad because no one is interested in other peoples affair unlike in India.

Pilgrimage Of Joy 2008

Pilgrimage of Joy

I went to Sydney on July13 2008 as part of the JY India delegation of over 100 people to attend WYD 2008 & 3^rd international gathering of Jesus Youth in Sydney.

World Youth Day is a youth-oriented Roman Catholic Church event. While the event itself celebrates the Catholic faith, invitation to attend is non-denominational.^[1] World Youth Day is not associated with International Youth Day or any of the international observance days.

World Youth Day (or in short 'WYD') was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985. He took the occasion of the United Nations' International Youth Year (1985)to launch one of the signature initiatives of his pontificate-the World Youth Days that would draw millions of young people on pilgrimage to Europe, Latin America, North America, Asia, and OceaniaIt is celebrated on a diocesan level annually on palm sunday, and at a week-long international level every two to three years at different locations. The international level events attract hundreds of thousands of youth from almost every country on the planet. The WYD in 1995 in Manila,Philipines holds the world record of largest papal gathering ever held with an attendance of 40lakh youth from around the globe!

World Youth Day 2008

The Archdiocese of Sydney was chosen as the host of the 2008 World Youth Day celebrations. The occasion will mark only the fourth Papal visit to the country - Pope Paul VI, twice by Pope John Paul II and now Pope Benedict XVI. At the time it was announced in 2005, WYD 2008 was commended by then Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, and the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell.^[5] World Youth Day 2008 was held in Sydney, with the Papal Mass held on the Sunday at Randwick Racecourse.

The week saw pilgrims from all continents participate in the Days in the Diocese program hosted by Catholic dioceses throughout Australia and New Zealand. The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI arrived into Sydney on Sunday 13 July 2008 at Richmond Air Force Base. Cardinal George Pell celebrated the Opening Mass at Barrangaroo (East Darling Harbour) with other activities including the re-enactment of Christ's passion during the Stations of the Cross and the Holy Father's boat cruise through Sydney Harbour. Pilgrims participated in a variety of youth festivities including visits to St Mary's Cathedral, daily Catechesis and Mass led by Bishops from all around the world, concerts, visits to the tomb of Blessed Mary MacKillop, the Vocations Expo at Darling Harbour, received the Sacrament of Reconciliation and prayed before the Blessed Sacrament during Adoration.

The event attracted 250,000 foreign visiting pilgrims to Sydney with an estimated 400,000 pilgrims attending Holy Mass celebrated by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday 20 July 2008. This is the largest single gathering of human beings at the one place in Australia's history.

Jesus Youth Delegation for WYD

Jesus Youth being an international Catholic youth movement also make its mark on WYD by arranging JY delegation from different countries and also through the active participation of Rex Band, its own music Band in WYD concerts. The International gathering of Jesus Youth [currently present in 24 countries] is organized right after the WYD in which the international team of JY is reconstituted. Check out www.jesusyouth.org

During the pilgrimage I got chance to visit Opera house, Sydney Harbour bridge, St.Marys Cathedral & Taronga Zoo in Sydney. In Adelaide[on a visit to my uncle’s home] i visited a beach, hill & also drove by the side of Adelaide cricket stadium(this is for the cricket fans).

During the 2 weeks, I travelled by car, bus, train, ferry, tram, domestic flight in Sydney & Adelaide. Overall it has been an exhilarating journey, a wonderful experience!

Foot Note

• WYD 2011 is in Madrid,Spain from Aug15-21.
• Read more in ipaper of JY international newsletter Sept08 edition: http://www.scribd.com/doc/6124132/Jesus-Youth-International-News-letter-August-2008