Far from the madding crowd..

I remember studying in my primary school that over 70% of Indians live in villages. I had an opportunity to live in one of the typical villages, on the west coast of India, for around two months in this summer. It was Kharoi village in the Kutch district of Gujarat. Though I did live in a village, I had the privilege to live in a wonderful campus with lush green lawns, a lake and beautiful food and housing etc, the accommodation provided by the organisation where I was doing my summer internship.

My first realization was that villages are no more as shown in movies. Everything is available in a village starting from mobile connections to internet data cards. People own computers, digital TVs etc. etc. I understood why companies are gunning each other for the rural market share. The only difference is that people spend there for necessity than luxury. So if you want a tooth brush or a soap, be ready to get 2-3 types of tooth brushes, all costing less than 10 and for soaps you would get dettol or hammam or godrej No.1.

The most beautiful experience was the purity of the villages. The night sky is very clear and we can see the whole blanket of stars. I did not even realize that it has been years that stars in the night sky are no longer visible, thanks to the various types of pollution. The water in the lakes is pure. Its a beautiful sight, as depicted in many paintings and poems, to see many people walking to the lake early in the morning. Its even more beautiful when the lake is full of ducks and many other birds. The climate is remarkable. Even in Kutch, one of the most dry places in the country, and even in the peak of summer, there is a cool breeze by evening. Its a pity that these people and these places are made to suffer because of climate change caused by the luxuries of the urban world.

Some startling differences are people in villages have lot of time. They don't have 9 to 9 jobs or late night meetings or weekend works. They have all the time in the world and sights of 2-3 people sitting on the verandahs of their houses chit chatting the whole day is very common. Also, there are a few people who worked in the nearest towns or nearby villages, who leave early and come late.

People there are healthy. These are the people who are still obeying the laws of the nature w.r.t. to our bodies. They don't hit the gym or follow a diet. Their lifestyle by nature is free of all the junk food. Their day to day physical work gives them the much needed exercise.

People are caring and friendly. This is shown in many movies and it was so good to experience it. People show lot of concern and offer a lot of help if you tell them that you are not from the village. And it doubles if you say that you are not from Gujarat.

Last and the most important, people are happy. With the least of the resources, very little options, people are content and happy. Of course there are a few people who aspire to go to the city, who want to become rich; majority of them cherish their current lifestyle and are absolutely satisfied.

So to all those people who are scared of a rural stint, there is no reason to be apprehensive. All you need is some good food and some good transport to reach the nearest city or town, and you can be sure of an experience of a life time.

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