• Is the Yatra safe?

The immersion is facilitated by an experienced on-ground team with long-standing community partnerships across Punjab.

• What kind of accommodation should I expect?

Participants will stay in curated community and farm stays, while being insured it is clean, simple, and comfortable.

• Do I need prior experience in social work or development?

No. Curiosity, maturity, and willingness to participate are more important than prior exposure.

• How physically demanding is the journey?

The program involves travel between districts, village stays, and hands-on engagement. Moderate adaptability is required.

• What does the $3,000 fee cover?

The program fee covers immersion design and facilitation, inter-district transport, food and curated stays, structured reflection sessions, and access to partner institutions.

International airfare, visa, travel insurance, and personal expenses are not included.

Any surplus remaining will support participating community organizations and Sanjhi Sikhiya’s ongoing work in strengthening education and youth leadership across Punjab.

• Is it difficult for U.S. citizens to travel to India?

No. A tourist e-Visa can be completed fully online at http://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa without visiting a consulate.

The application typically takes 10–15 minutes if documents are ready, and approval is issued electronically by email.

Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond arrival and have at least two blank pages.

• I am an OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card holder. Do I need a visa to participate in Kirrt Yatra?

OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) card holders do not require a separate visa to travel to India. A valid OCI card along with a valid foreign passport is sufficient for entry.

For details regarding OCI documentation or status, you may refer to the official Government of India portal: https://ociservices.gov.in .

• Is travel insurance required for Kirrt Yatra?

Travel insurance is strongly recommended for all participants, especially those traveling internationally. Please ensure your policy covers medical emergencies, trip delays, and unforeseen cancellations.

• Can I extend beyond 15 days?

Yes. Optional extensions can be designed in collaboration with the team after the Yatra.

• Are there scholarships or financial support options?

We welcome you to submit the interest form, and will certainly explore possible support. Participants are also invited to pay forward contributions to support others who may find the cost stretching.

• What kind of realities will I be confronted with, and is there support if something is hard to process?

Kirrt Yatra brings you close to realities that don’t resolve neatly: the drug crisis and its effect on families, agricultural distress, poverty, and the daily texture of caste and religious difference in rural Punjab. None of it is softened. Confronting it directly, not reading about it from a distance, is the whole point of the design.

Every day includes structured Reflection, one of the five phases the Yatra is built around. This isn’t personal journaling alone; it happens with your cohort and curators present, so what’s hard to sit with gets processed together rather than carried alone. Past Yatris have described disagreement and discomfort, especially around religion, caste, and gender, becoming doorways into deeper understanding precisely because the group had built enough trust to hold it.

• Who else will be in my cohort? What’s the mix of ages, backgrounds, diaspora vs. India-based?

Cohorts are small and deliberately unsorted. The April 2026 group included diaspora entrepreneurs and public health professionals from New York, a retired professor and development researcher from Chandigarh, and a data science student from Pune with no prior connection to Punjab. Ages ranged from mid-20s to mid-40s and beyond; several arrived at a personal turning point, a recent retirement, or a career reconsidered. Most start out as strangers to each other.

• Do I need to speak Punjabi or Hindi?

No. Several April 2026 Yatris arrived without either, including participants from the US and UK, and it did not stand in the way of connecting with the people and communities they met. Curators and the on-ground team supported communication throughout.