Due to frequent newspaper reports about violence in Bastar region due to conflicts between leftist extremists and state agencies, there was a palpable fear in the air. Some of the older shodhyatris were deterred by the incidents which happened only a few days before the commencement of the yatra. But many young people felt emboldened to explore and experience a reality that often remains obscure. After Purulia, Koraput, Dhemaji, Arku Valley, Champaran, Anantnag, etc., Narayanpur, Bastar was the next conflict-prone region to be explored. The shodyatris wanted to learn, share and understand the roots of anger, agony and assertion that the people support violent means of resolving social conflict.