Foot Yatra: Travelogue of a Foot Soldier
[Originally Posted by Agastya Kapoor]
I was first introduced to the concept of walking in school. I read about the "Salt March" by our Father of Nation -- Mahatma Gandhi; somewhere in 1930s. I was quite indifferent to this march but always very inquisitive about the idea. While growing up, I often saw people walking in large numbers to pay visit to the shrine of a popular messenger of God - Sai Baba. Much later in life, I heard about a great saint and leader – Acharya Vinoba Bhave who walked all around India for several years (like more than 20 years) to collect land for poor and neglected communities.
I really thought that these men had lost their minds but I always had a pinch in my heart about the whole concept of walking for a cause. Who knew I had to wait for more than 30 years for someone to come and shake my whole life up. Someone, actually two of them, who made me realise that I may re-work my entire 33 years of life!
"FootYatra" is a travelogue of my walking pilgrimage (with Yogeshbhai Mathuria) in 2015. It was an experiment for inner transformation and to check the existence "Guest is God" attitude in India; in the modern times. I walked around 340 kilometers (without money) with three friends. I witnessed the best and worst of human behavior; in me and others. This short e-book is a humble attempt to narrate the story through my eyes and words. I've tried my best to keep the book simple and very visual. ​
Posted by Agastya Kapoor on May 22, 2015 | permalink
Rebecca wrote ...
I enjoyed reading of your journey - by foot - and having grown up with 9 brothers and sisters with no hot water until 16 years of age, and all the small things with large families.....your introspect lightened my very adult year, Washington D.C.-centered life. I long for the fields, the birds, the lovely country neighbors who stopped their car to have a half hour chat right there in the country dirt road. You are wise to have chosen to walk. Thank you for walking. Thank you for bringing your experience to the internet where I will repeat reading it for the next long amount of time. It is a beautiful read. I enjoyed it tremendously. Taking quiet time has always been a favorite of mine - falling asleep with the cows in the barn, or the sheep in the other barn....or for 3 hours in the field lying against a cow while she rested, too......peace is here, and we are it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.