{"id":3389,"date":"2020-09-13T03:07:19","date_gmt":"2020-09-13T03:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecoversities.org\/?p=3389"},"modified":"2021-06-27T17:16:06","modified_gmt":"2021-06-27T17:16:06","slug":"from-tourists-to-pilgrims-the-pedagogy-of-traveling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecoversities.org\/es\/from-tourists-to-pilgrims-the-pedagogy-of-traveling\/","title":{"rendered":"From tourists to pilgrims, the pedagogy of traveling"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"pedagogy\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"pedagogy\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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By Sharmila Govande<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\u201cA mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.\u201d \t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOliver Wendell Holmes<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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As part of our post graduation course in social work (1)<\/span>, we were required to get a glimpse of the local social development projects through a fifteen day journey. While I do not have memories of the projects we visited, I recall with nostalgia my short stay at a tribal household in the Aravalli ranges of Rajasthan. Appalled by their hygiene practices – no bathing for days, open fields for nature’s call, domestic animals inside their one room abode at night, children with runny noses, unkempt hair, dirty nails, the list could go on, something transformed in me when I reluctantly agreed to try their traditional attire and accessories. I happily listened to their songs, fed their livestock, ate the food they foraged from the jungle and accepted them for what they were.What touched me most was their welcoming nature and their simplicity. This unique experience has stayed alive in me and has made me more accepting and more open toward different people, cultures and traditions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

What is Travel?<\/i><\/b><\/p>

The Oxford dictionary defines travel as, \u201cmaking a journey, typically of some length\u201d. Along with this journey comes an experience – an experience that brings alive all our senses; feeding our mind with new visions, thoughts, ideas and meanings. Experiences that question one\u2019s existing beliefs and notions, bringing new insights that facilitate learning and growth. The sounds of nature, the conversations with <\/span>people, the surrounding smells, the feel of the wind, the sunlight, the taste of the food you eat and everything you see either provides new information or digs out old memories and creates thoughts in one\u2019s mind. These thoughts question or reinforce or help you make new meanings. This is, <\/span>as rightly noted by Rahul Karanpuriya (2),<\/span> a journey inwards, while travelling outwards. However, travel is not only about taking, but also sharing what one has. As Rahul states, \u201cIt is like allowing the world to shape me and bring out my true self. It is a way of giving back to the love I have received from the world.\u201d\u00a0 Keeping this perspective in mind, even a short walk in the neighbourhood, if experienced with a conscious mind, is travel as there is a movement and a meaningful experience. Thus, making travel a pilgrimage – a search for meaning of life, of self. It is thereby not a means to an end, but a journey where every moment counts.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

India has a long history of travel in the sense of pilgrimage. <\/span>Teerth yatras <\/span><\/i>(Pilgrimage)<\/span> and parikramas <\/span><\/i>(circumambulation)<\/span> were undertaken to the confluences of rivers and various holy shrines. The <\/span>yatris<\/span><\/i> (travellers) had to go on foot without any comforts. This act of hardship was considered as an act of devotion. It was believed that these <\/span>yatras <\/span><\/i>purified the self and brought it closer to the divine. In India, travel also became a tool to \u2018create awareness\u2019 and a \u2018fight for a cause\u2019 during pre-independence struggle and \u2018post independence days\u2019 with Gandhiji using travel on foot to spread the message of human rights and nonviolence and Vinoba Bhave following the same practice to urge people to donate their land to the landless. Satish Kumar (3)<\/span> traveled by foot to spread the message of peace and request the four major nuclear weapon owners to keep away from pressing the button.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Travel in the tourism industry is conceived as a way to\u00a0 spend time away from home for the purpose of recreation, relaxation or pleasure. A tourist makes use of commercial services and carefully curated experiences. There are other kinds of travels, such as work travel where one travels for the purpose of work commitments and educational travel that is undertaken for the purpose of learning. Religious and Spiritual travels are undertaken to visit holy shrines, spread the message of God or seek the blessings of a higher being.<\/span><\/p>

In our current consumer-centric world, packaged deals are being offered in every area of travel replacing pilgrimages with planned itineraries and luxuries based on the amount one can pay. Travel companies have commodified not only recreational experiences, but also spiritual, health, education and learning based travel.<\/span><\/p>

Difference between Pilgrimage and Tourism<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>

Satish Kumar in his book \u2018Earth Pilgrim\u2019, brings out the difference between pilgrimage and tourism. According to him, a tourist consumes and looks at Earth as a source of goods and services, pleasure and enjoyment. A tourist finds gratification in the consumption of nature\u2019s gifts. A tourist travels to arrive at a place while a pilgrim finds fulfillment in the journey. According to him life is a pilgrimage – as to be a pilgrim is to be on the move, physically, mentally and metaphorically. As a pilgrim one discovers the mystery, magic, meaning and magnificence of life in every step, in every sound and in every sight.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

While a tourist traverses on a carefully planned path and is time bound, a pilgrim decides the path during the course of the journey and doesn\u2019t rush through the journey. Slows down, halts whenever feels the need for it. A pilgrim, thus, embraces the unknown and doesn\u2019t bind to a place or to time. The spirit of a pilgrimage is giving back, expressing gratitude and taking care of the path and surrounding area, while the focus of a tourist is to get maximum out of the investment made.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The intention<\/i><\/b><\/p>

Amidst all popular business driven initiatives are experiments with a different philosophy of travel. One can say they are largely influenced by our tradition of <\/span>Parikrama <\/span><\/i>y <\/span>Teerth yatras<\/span><\/i> as well as the journeys undertaken for a social cause and personal growth. They attempt to blend in the spirit of a pilgrimage with a time bound experience, to shift the focus from well-serviced comfortable stays to experiencing the hospitality of the local community, from seeking to giving. The intention is social and environmental sensitization, self awareness, learning about initiatives and experiments, forming deeper connections and relationships.<\/span><\/p>

Anveshan<\/span><\/i> is an initiative that aims at \u2018<\/span>Sourcing inner wisdom to create a paradigm shift in education system<\/span>\u2019 <\/span><\/i>and curates river journeys that begin at the river origin and traverses along its course to reach the point where the river meets the sea. In the words of Anita Pathak, the founder of <\/span>Anveshan<\/span><\/i>, “The idea is to learn from the course of a river and the communities and settlements around the river. The river is the <\/span>guru <\/span><\/i>(teacher)”<\/span>.<\/b> Disturbed by the current education system and our depleting natural environment, Anita felt that nature and communities were the best learning platforms and the course of a river offers both. The outer journey takes the participant into an inner journey and raises questions about the self, the surroundings and one\u2019s role in society (4)<\/span>. So far they have been on the course of Ganga, Narmada and Kaveri.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Travellers University<\/span><\/i> in India is another initiative that believes the whole world is a learning ground and that personal experiences invoke one’s innate curiosity which is fundamental for education. This initiative has programs that involve group as well as solo travels. Going slow helps us experience what nature has to offer and helps connect with people, understand the reality of the common people. According to Rahul Karanpuriya the key ideator of <\/span>Travellers University<\/span><\/i>, travelling questions many of our prejudices, beliefs and convictions. Rahul himself has been a solo traveller and has travelled long distances on his cycle. He travelled to various parts of the country to learn from 52 people engaged in sustainable living practices. He made a documentary series called <\/span>52 Parindey<\/span><\/i>, based on his experiences and interviews (5)<\/span>. Ashik Krishnan, a self directed learner and now a team member at <\/span>Traveller\u2019s University<\/span><\/i>, was disappointed by the education system. He planned a 100 day journey to various alternate education initiatives in India with the support of <\/span>Traveller\u2019s University<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0 Saptarshi, a khoji (explorer) at Swaraj University hitchhikes through his way and usually goes with the flow. He often takes rides from tempo, truck drivers, motorcycles, bullock carts, tractors etc. His initiative <\/span>Homeout Traveller <\/span><\/i>is about travelling and meeting new people, new places and living sustainably. It focuses on community, reclaiming life and moving out of consumerism.<\/span><\/p>

Sheetal Sanghvi, founder of the <\/span>Urban Ashram (6)<\/span><\/i> organizes informal\u00a0 journeys that go with the flow. They usually have a start point and an end point planned (mainly for practical purposes) but what happens in between these two points is unplanned.Their journeys are designed around <\/span>\u2018<\/b>traditional<\/span> pilgrimages\u2019 – they purposefully undertake a little difficulty to get out of comfort zone, moving along slowly in order to\u00a0 learn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Vimukta Shisha Yatras<\/span><\/i> planned as thematic<\/span> exposure trips aim at providing a glimpse into the various experiments happening specifically around the field of alternative education and learning. <\/span>The program is typically a journey of 7-10 days to 5-10 project locations with the intention of learning & unlearning, collective dreaming, reclaiming and re-imagining education. While visits to projects are planned, the group gets ample space for discussions, debates and conv<\/span>ersations around \u2018education and learning\u2019. Being with a group of co-travellers passionate about the subject is <\/span>important for collectively processing the experiences and building future partnerships.<\/span><\/p>

Travel Dirty Excursions (7)<\/span><\/i> aim at exposures to various ways of living and sustainable living practices. Aishwarya Phadke curates experiences that urge the participants to slow down, connect with nature and experience the simplicity of things staying true to her mission, \u201cto remind people of the simple bare necessities of life.\u201d Travel Dirty <\/span>plans experiences in villages, forests, farms and mountains. According to Aishwarya, \u201cirrespective of where you go, what you do there matters. Sightseeing is replaced by community work, selfies are replaced by conversations with the locals and mindless fun is replaced by mindful relaxation<\/span>\u201d (8).<\/span><\/p>

Cycle yatras<\/span><\/i> have become a ritual at Swaraj University (9)<\/span> where all the cohorts travel in groups of 15-20 on cycles for a week without their mobile phones and without money. The idea is to come out of one\u2019s comfort zone, overcome fear and trust the local communities and the universe. They are required to offer their labour for some food and a space to sleep. Such yatras are also conducted by <\/span>Traveller\u2019s University <\/span><\/i>and the <\/span>Swapathgami network (10)<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Some initiatives are planned with a larger purpose of spreading political awareness. <\/span>Jai Jagat 2020 (11)<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is a march for peace and justice undertaken to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The group will travel on foot through 10 countries with nonviolence training and events on key justice themes along the way. They will be joined with separate marches starting from a number of countries in Europe and northwest Africa as well as delegates from around the world. The aim is to urge the\u00a0<\/span>implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a dialogue with UN agencies in Geneva.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span>International initiatives such as <\/span>Think Camp\u00a0 (12)\u00a0<\/span><\/i>organize learning journeys and hiking dialogues with the purpose of asking one key question to its participants, \u201cWhat do I really, really like to do with my life, for myself, for society and for the planet?”. The hiking dialogues are also centered around social concerns and topics such as gender, religion, environment, sustainability, and ethical awareness. Their current approach emerged from the insights of the “Caravan of Change 2013”, a learning journey passing through 18 European countries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Processes<\/i><\/b><\/p>

Travellers University<\/span><\/i> focuses on three different kinds of travel – exposure travels, experiential travels and Self directed learning journeys. According to Rahul, all three kinds have some element of the other, but the main flavour differentiates them. While exposure and experiential travels are usually curated journeys, self directed journeys are planned by the traveller<\/span>. Swaraj<\/span><\/i> yatra <\/span><\/i>explores Gandhi\u2019s idea of Swaraj and exposes the group to Gandhian philosophy and experiments based on these ideas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Transit 42 <\/span><\/i>is a 6 week travel experiment curated by <\/span>Traveller\u2019s University <\/span><\/i>for young adults to explore, experience and expand one\u2019s head, heart and hands in this world of infinite possibilities. The group travels through four states (Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala) from West India and engages with local experiments to address global problems, explore diversity and build perspective on the current happenings and future possibilities. Expanding one\u2019s heart to understanding one\u2019s own patterns of life and taking control of how one\u2019s life shapes. Expanding one\u2019s hands and explore the interconnectedness with nature and one another (13).<\/span><\/p>

Anita\u2019s river journeys include processes that take you from an outer experience into your inner self. The outer experience would be seeing places, talking to academicians, activists, local community, community leaders etc. \u201cThe inner journey is about understanding how the outer experience has impacted on you.\u201d\u00a0 These processes help a participant understand how an experience has impacted on the self and supports the participant to untangle thoughts and feelings and understand the experience in the light of beliefs and opinions.<\/span><\/p>

Vimukta Shiksha Yatra<\/span><\/i> on the other hand believes in giving a lot of free time for the participants to converse, share, discuss and debate within the\u00a0 group or to spend time within oneself. According to Harsh Wardhan (curator), \u201c informal chats play a big role in our inward journey. They help people talk and share without time constraints. Also people decide whom they want to talk to and how they want to reflect. Some people like to reflect by writing in their journal or by spending time with the self at a quiet spot. Their itinerary thus includes one or two visits during the day and ample free time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Common to all these initiatives are the morning circle and the end of day reflection. Sheetal Sanghvi calls these the \u2018checkin and checkout circles\u2019. \u201cYou check in the morning to see how everybody is feeling. It is a space where the group shares their morning thoughts and feelings. The group also discusses concerns and issues, problem solves and shares the plan for the day. Morning rituals also include prayers, meditation, yoga and processes where you prepare for the day ahead. The checkout <\/span>session usually focuses on the immediate reflections of the day and light hearted sharing through songs, stories, poems, artwork and winding down exercises.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Participant led sessions too find a spot in such initiatives. These sessions led by the participants could be anything from playing a game, or singing songs, or learning some art or craft or cooking together to having a discussion or debate or leading a small excursion within the travel. During the <\/span>Vimukta Shiksha Yatra<\/span><\/i> I attended recently, one of the participants led the paragliding experience. A few of us led a session on sharing personal stories from our own life. \u201cThe group traveling together are co-creators. So any of my co-traveller can voice and share thoughts and ideas and since we do not have a rigid plan or itinerary, the group together decides the next days course of action\u201d, shared Sheetal Sanghvi.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

All these initiatives have an ever evolving program with new processes and new activities being added each time. Sometimes, something that a participant brings in adds up as a new ritual. The more you get to know the community and more the trust that develops between you and them, the richer are the experiences, says Aishwarya. Sheetal Sanghvi noted that \u201cevery time you visit a place, there is a different newness to it. There is something new for you to soak in and understand and hence no two experiences can be the same\u201d.<\/span><\/p>

Orientation to the travel and open discussion on expectations, certain dos and don\u2019ts and being sensitive to the community\u2019s needs also forms an important part of the travel. Rahul shared that they have a \u2018no drugs, no alcohol\u2019 policy. Similarly, discussions around clothing, eating packaged foods, appropriate disposal of waste and keeping the spirit of the community are important. In spite of orientations and discussions, the initiatives face challenges around being sensitive to the needs of the community. Such challenges are also considered learning moments and are dealt using dialogue and reflection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The 4-M philosophy of <\/span>\u2018Think Camp\u2019<\/span><\/i> sums up most of what all these initiatives do:<\/span><\/p>