How My 'Quest' To Travel Led Me To Working In The Social Sector

When the COVID-19 lockdown announcement was made globally, I was stationed in one of the distant villages in Uttarakhand, setting up a homestay and making fun of the situation, believing we were the safest. But life had different plans, and I had to return to my hometown in Maharashtra safely before the major railway shut down began in March 2020.

During my architecture studies at Mumbai University, I developed a curiosity about the world and a desire to understand what my field could offer and how I could make a difference. With very limited pocket money, I started travelling alone from Mumbai to Gujarat, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Meghalaya, Arunachal, and Ladakh. Each journey has inspired me in countless ways. The sunrises and sunsets, cold night camps in the Thar Desert, views from Sandakphu, and times spent in vegetable markets in Tawang evoked deep emotional, social, and practical insights. Each return trip brought immense fulfilment.

The pandemic forced me to stay home and work online to assist communities in various locations, including farmers, artisans, craftsmen, and those involved in tourism who were most affected. During this period, I discovered the SBI Youth for India fellowship program. It spoke to me, and without hesitation, I was willing to be on the field, while making an impact during these challenging times.

How travel helped me understand myself better

My project journey began in Kolli Hills, Tamil Nadu, with MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), where I worked on a community tourism project. I had the opportunity to showcase the authenticity of the place to city dwellers while giving local Self-Help Groups (SHGs) exposure. That year of fellowship instilled in me the confidence that something significant needed to be done, marking the start of my true journey.

Throughout the fellowship, I gained relevant industry experience and understood that the real meaning of travel was missing. Travel, to me, was a medium which enabled me to learn more about myself, stimulating my emotional and social intelligence. It benefited not only me as a traveller but also the communities at the destinations. And that’s how the ‘Quest’ started. 

Through 'Quest Journeys,' I aim to transform how we perceive travel. It is a medium that enables individuals from diverse backgrounds to become 'Social Leaders' and make impactful contributions during their journeys. Recently, we piloted a project with 14 architecture students from Bangalore, taking them to my fellowship location.

They successfully documented the village settlement for the next generations, and the whole journey evoked a sense of responsibility in those students to not miss rural India which is full of architectural treasures.

Currently, we aim to bring communities from across India and individuals from similar and diverse professional backgrounds who see travel as a powerful medium for impact, growth, and change. Through these efforts, we hope to inspire more people to embark on journeys that create meaningful and lasting impacts on themselves and the world around them. 

This article is in collaboration with SBI Foundation Youth For India. Views expressed by the author are their own.