Fading charms of villages

Nilratan Halder | Published: November 07, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

Village people now watch TV as a source of entertainment

Many pulls and pushes are responsible for bringing a raw, rustic and uninitiated person out of his/her quiet and sleepy surrounding to the capital cauldron. But there are others who do not feel the temptation strong enough to leave their rural roots. Instead, they try to make ends meet by clinging to the available options. Well, these options are widening now that villages too have started embracing some urban ways with the introduction of electricity.
The transformation is slow but sure. Today, village homes have fridges, liquefied petroleum (LP) gas in addition to colour and cable TV. A village market now boasts one or several photo-copy shops, computers and printers for composition and print. This is not surprising because people now hardly use hand-written copies for any documents. Students in particular are aware of the benefits of such gadgets. No wonder, such businesses are thriving in rural areas too. This is indication enough that education -no matter if it is quality or not - is making its presence felt.
On the entertainment front too, a sharp change is noticeable. People nowadays hardly use mikes (microphones) on big occasions or for celebrations. Huge amplifiers (soundboxes) of sound system connected to a laptop or computer is used for playing music often downloaded from the internet.
Even a couple years ago, such gadgets were a luxury in the villages. But now students studying in colleges, universities or technical institutes are well versed with the operation of such advanced devices. On big occasions they return home and make good use of their knowledge and the technology to the wonder of their parents and elders. It has been a huge generation gap within a generation.
Villages are losing their characters fast and adopting the ways of the urbanites. The older people are finding themselves misfit in this violent vortex of socio-cultural change. No one does care if the sound pollution is proving too much for babies, the old and the sick. Celebrations are also undergoing changes in contents. The fast and furious rhythm of Hindi songs takes over Bangla songs. A 'lungi dance' inspires children and teenagers to matching movements of their bodies to the tune.
In this context, the invasion of the cable channels is likely to cause more harms to the young population than good. Only in rare cases have guardians been strict enough to resist subscription or where they were subscribers discontinued it. Villagers -old or young -now gather before a grocery shop in order to enjoy drama serials mostly from a neighbouring country. It has nearly become an addiction with a segment of villagers. Little or no educated as they are, the audience there will exercise little regulations on what they view.
Increased availability of electricity has been a boon for villagers but at the same time it has been a bane too. If there is now an opportunity for students to study under sufficient light for longer hours, unguided use of electronic gadgets may have offset the gains. The signs are not very optimistic yet.
Many are of the opinion that condition is fast being created for retired people to spend the last leg of their life in villages. If most of the utilities of facilities are available in villages, why should one confine oneself to a city where movement from one place to another at a few kilometres proves to be a perilous journey? What they miss is that the quietness and serenity of villages too are fast becoming a casualty. If village politics is added, not many will feel encouraged to retire to a village. People with health problems will face the greatest challenge there.
However those who still feel thrilled to see the dew drops on the blade of grass or the crimson sun colouring the eastern sky or the setting sun painting the western horizon with vermillion, scattered dark patches acting as a relief, villages still have some charms for them. If there are trees -and villages really plant trees with some sense of purpose and gusto - birds are sure to be there. Just imagine, a familiar or unfamiliar bird routinely chirping nearby to rouse you from sleep! If there are deep-throttled or just soft melodies from a few winged friends creating a rhapsody of chorus, one cannot but feel blessed.