Dilip D’Souza: Roadwalker

In conversation with the author on Roadwalker: A Few Miles on the Bharat Jodo Yatra

In September 2022, Rahul Ghandi, the leader of the Indian National Congress party started a Bharat Jodo Yatra (Unite India March), his intention to walk the entire length of India from South to North - a total of over 2500 miles, over almost 150 days. The aim was to unite the country against ‘divisive politics’, and to understand the mood of the nation. Thousands of people lined the streets as the yatra slowly walked on over five months, with many people joining the walk along the way, either for a matter of hours, days, weeks or months. Author Dilip D’Souza was one of those who felt the need to join the yatra, which he did four times. The experience was so profound for him, he ended up writing a book, that explores his own relationship to India and how it has evolved over the years, as well as the connections he made, and the sense of hope cultivated that the political future could be different.

On a recent trip to India, I spent a very early morning with Dilip at the incredible flower market in Dadar, Mumbai, before sitting down with him to understand what the yatra meant to him, and through our conversation was struck by how similar the political landscapes between the UK and India seemed to be.

You can buy Dilip’s book, Roadwalker: A Few Miles on the Bharat Jodo Yatra here.