Susa - I honestly don’t know why he’s called that, but the most popular theory has something to do with a girl called Susan. Well, Susa and I worked together on our college placement committee. We’ve kept in touch since we left college and one day while we were chatting, Susa mentioned in passing a site he’d come across. To pre-empt all denials, here is an unedited portion of our conversation:
 
Sudharsan: its a program that aims to send young people around the country to learn about rural problems first …

So we’re only a few weeks away from the road trip we’re all really excited about, and this is as good a time as any to look back on how we got here.
For me, it almost ended before it started. I stumbled upon the grassroutes site, and immediately knew I just had to apply for the fellowship, but couldnt think of anyone who might be interested enough to take the time off work. So I kind of gave up on it, and only mentioned it in passing to a friend …

Yes, we’ve finally learnt that each of us have been “spoke”d into grassroutes. I, for one, am excited and very much looking forward to exploring a little bit more of the India I know so little about. It’s so easy to get caught up in day-to-day living. in the rat race, in excelling, in our ambitiousness…that exploration almost seems rebellious. And it is, it’s a rebellion against custom that says you take work-leave only to visit family; it’s a rebellion against the routine of day-to-day living; against the equation that …

I first met Rashmi at Saarang (the IIT Madras fest) in Jan 2007. We were taking part in the crossword, and she and my brother had met at fests earlier. My brother introduced us to each other, but that was the end of our interaction.
The next time I met her was at the NIT Surathkal fest in March last year. I was sitting alone and munching something in the canteen, and she’d come to grab a bite with the basketball team. She was sweet enough to come and say hello, …