A Quest for Enterprise-Led Development

Embarking on an epic journey is the start of many a great story. One where the hero leaves what he knows to discover something new about himself. The Odyssey. The Hajj. Eat Pray Love. (Just kidding.)

The Tata Jagriti Yatra hopes to do the same thing – take 400 young people out of their comfort zone to find something new. But instead of mere self-discovery, the entrepreneurs who run the journey hope to ignite an entrepreneurial spirit over the course of an 18-day quest. Starting in Mumbai, the Jagriti Yatra travels 9,000 km by train around the perimeter of India. Along the way, they meet with social entrepreneurs from all over the country, observing how they create opportunity and employment. The hope is that by hearing success stories, the Yatris (as they’re called) will be inspired to start businesses of their own.

And they are. Out of the 800 Yatris already graduated from the program, at least 80 have gone on to become entrepreneurs. With many Indian management institutes struggling to transform graduates into entrepreneurs, the Yatra model is a brilliant endeavor. Statistics illustrate  a dismal disparity between those entering business school with entrepreneurial aspirations, and those that actually beginning their own businesses after graduation. Accounting and marketing are easy to teach, but the entrepreneurial spirit is harder to learn in a classroom.

“I now have a network of 800 young people dedicated to building the nation,” says executive director Swapnil Dixit, 28. Dixit hopes to show this generation of Indian youth that, “If you’ve got the energy [and] the talent – start something, don’t wait for a job to come your way. You could be a job-provider, not a job-seeker, from day one.” In a country where job security is highly regarded, the Yatra hopes to encourage youth to take the risk of becoming a self-made entrepreneur. An entrepreneurship revolution could help India grow inclusively, and drive commerce throughout the country.

One of their obstacles is reaching out to all demographics. It’s still a challenge to bring women and non-urban youth on board. The gender ratios on the Yatra are improving: in 2007, they had 25% females, while 2009 had a 40-60 split. However, only 30% of the women were from non-urban locations. Rural women, facing family and cultural resistance, are still an underserved demographic. (At a recent speaking event, the Yatra founders were asked by a young female what to do, if she wanted to invest the money her father had saved for her dowry into a new business.)

The Yatra organizers are using creative new marketing techniques – like advertising in a chain of rural Internet cafes – to reach out to every corner of India. They also capitalize on the power of the network of Yatris they’ve developed in the past two years. “Yatris will go to obscure locations on their own and work hard to spread the word,” Dixit says. They’ve also used mothers of past Yatris to answer questions from potential travelers’ parents.

Despite some parental hesitation, and the logistics of moving 400 20-somethings on a train for 2 ½ weeks, the Yatra has inspired hundreds of young people to use enterprise for a better collective future. Dixit remembers the Executive Director of Tata Sons Mr. R. Gopalakrishnan warning that “the biggest danger our nation faces is not terrorism…the biggest danger is a cynical youth.” The Tata Jagriti Yatra shows that Indian youth aren’t necessarily cynical; they’re simply lacking examples and proof of possible entrepreneurial futures. “There is so much energy in the young people here,” Dixit says. If India is able to harness that enthusiasm, “then we have nothing to worry about.”

photo credit: ansaldo-sts.com