Sriperumbudur/New Delhi: The Sri Rajiv Gandhi Jyothi Sadbhavana Yatra will begin its 35th edition from Sriperumbudur on August 9, carrying a message of national integration, communal harmony, secularism and peace to New Delhi.
An eternal flame will be lit at Sriperumbudur, where former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in 1991, before embarking on a 12-day journey covering nearly 2,982 kilometres across eight states. The yatra will pass through Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana before reaching the national capital on August 19.
The annual journey will culminate at Vir Bhumi on August 20, observed as Sadbhavana Diwas and marking Rajiv Gandhi’s 82nd birth anniversary.
The yatra traces its roots to October 19, 1990, when Rajiv Gandhi hoisted the national flag at Charminar in Hyderabad and visited riot-affected areas to appeal for communal harmony. Following his assassination at Sriperumbudur on May 21, 1991, the initiative was carried forward as an annual flame relay.
Organisers said the flame symbolises the message of goodwill, with the yatra seeking to highlight India’s unity amid its linguistic, religious and regional diversity.
This year’s journey will pass through key locations including Bengaluru, Chitradurga, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Hyderabad, Adilabad, Betul, Guna, Gwalior and Gurugram before entering Delhi.
Syed Mohsin, Vice President and spokesperson of the yatra committee, said the message of Sadbhavana remains particularly relevant for younger generations and stressed the need to choose unity over division.
National President R. Doraivelu said the yatra has kept the flame of goodwill alive for 35 years and would continue carrying the message that Indians are stronger together.
On August 19, the yatra will proceed to the All India Congress Committee headquarters at 24 Akbar Road and the party’s new national headquarters, Indira Bhavan. It will conclude at Vir Bhumi the following day with prayers for national integration, communal harmony and world peace.
