INDIA LIVES IN HER VILLAGES
INDIA LIVES IN HER VILLAGES
Do you remember the quotes of Gandhi, “India lives in her villages”, it wasn’t surely without meaning. Minochester Rustom Masani, a famous writer, in one of his books named “Our India”, described India and its economy, mainly the Village India. Ever since our independence, we have banked upon the agriculture for development. India is a land of agriculture, about 72.70% people live in the villages as per the 2001 census, comprising of 638,596 traditional villages.
A village is a collection of tiny huts in the middle of fields on which the farmers work. Most of the villages are generally cut off from the cities and completely lead a different kind of life. They are surrounded by the nature and the remark “God made the country and man made the town” made by Poet Cowper is justified by it. The rising sun, sweet songs of the birds, and the green fields with cool breeze are the ones that display the nature’s beauty.
Lifestyle of People
Indian village life is a combination of serenity, tranquility and innocence, without the hustle and bustle of the modern day life. They dress simple, and eat simple food. They have very few desires which mean they live a happy life, until any unpredictable situation is created by the nature. They are very much satisfied with what they have and never dream of the luxurious comforts provided by modern technology. They use very simple tools for their work and always believe in manual works.
People living in the village are generally healthy due to the absence of big factories and their no smoking habit. Their health is also promoted by the fresh air that they breathe, and the pure ghee and milk that they get.
Most of the villagers are farmers, cultivating their farms around their village. They go to work in the early morning, plough, sow and reap as per the seasonal requirements and return back home in the evening. The people also involve in cottage industries like spinning and weaving along with their regular agricultural activities. They also indulge in arts and crafts, which they have been creating for many generations. Pottery and carpentry are also some of their other well known income providing activities.
People in the village are very close to each other, they respect each other, live together like a family and depend on each other for their daily needs. People gather in the village chopal and have good chat. In unfortunate times, they support each other and the guests are shown great hospitality.
Nowadays the migration of youths from villages to cities has increased in search of better job and better opportunities to develop their career, but this doesn’t hurt the agriculture population, the population involved in agriculture is still constant and dedicated.
Religion and Festivals
Villagers are deeply inclined towards their religions, they worship many gods and goddesses, and the village priest is respected highly. They are very superstitious, with belief in omens. They are very loyal to their deity and their village itself. The entertainment in their uninterrupted village life comes from the festivals like Diwali, Muharram, Dussehra, Holi, Durga Puja, etc. The festivals are featured by their captivating pulse of dance, songs and emotion.
Governance in Village
There is no government or governance in a traditional village. A headman called the panchayat leader, who is well respected, with other important men from different castes; take the responsibility of clarifying any dispute within their village boundary. Very rarely do they go to the police or court. The Indian government also supports an elective panchayat system for the villages.
Drawbacks of Village Life
Infrastructure and Literacy
Villages have no proper social or physical infrastructures. They are devoid of any school building, hospitals, and other necessary infrastructures. This is one reason that the illiteracy rate in the villages of India is very high. Most of them don’t know to even write their names. The level of education received by the children in the villages is way too low, and around fifty percent of them leave the schools before 5th grade. The elder family members don’t show much interest in letting their wards to study further, due to their own believes.
Villagers don’t get proper assess to hospitals, and are prone to infectious diseases. Many people die every year due to lack of medical infrastructure.
Economy
The villagers are very poor and they live mostly in one roomed mud houses. They don’t earn much in spite being the hardest workers in whole of India. They don’t get proper food for their daily life, which is completely dependent on the unpredictable natural factors such as rain, flood, etc. They borrow a lot from the riches and due to over burden; they end up loosing hope in life.
On the positive note, Government of India has been taking much initiative to increase the literacy rate and the quality of life in the villages. And with many corporate involving in corporate social responsibilities, including adoption of villages, providing infrastructure facilities, funding, etc there is a big hope that the life in village will become more pleasant than just its natural beauties.
In spite of all the present day drawbacks that have been sited in here, villages are considered to be better than city life. And if I am given a chance to live in village, I would surely love to enjoy the village life hoping that it will soon become a paradise on earth.
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