Village Life in India
India is a thickly populated country. The major occupation of the people particularly in the rural areas is agriculture. Most of its people live in villages. The village consists of small huts in the middle of fields on which the farmers of the village work. Some villages are big which are generally having good houses. The villages are mostly located far from the cities. They have the different kind of life in the villages.
The villagers live within the natural surroundings. The life in the village is simple and beautiful. People are attached with the nature. When they rise early in the morning, they listen to the sweet songs of various birds. They enjoy the beauty of the rising Sun and the sweet breeze of the day down. The villagers enjoy the flowing rivers with murmuring sound. They feel pleasure when they see the greenery of their fields. Many farmers grow vegetables and fruit trees. These days the farmers have become business minded. They are growing flower plants, seedlings and fruit trees, which they are selling in the market and getting good return out of it.
The villagers pass healthy and peaceful life. The villages are free from smoke, dust and other type of pollution. They breathe fresh air, which keeps them healthy, strong and smart. They keep pet animals like cows, buffaloes, goats and so on. They take fresh milk, butter and ghee. They work peacefully and in a methodical manner. There is no hustle and bustle in their work. They do not worry much as they have the limited requirements. What they produce on their farms generally meets their requirement. They feel satisfaction with their earning and never dream of those luxuries and comforts that modern science has provided to us in the cities.
The farmers in the villages are working very hard. They start working early in the morning and keep on working till evening without any rest. They have busy life when there is a work of ploughing, sowing and reaping. Spinning and weaving are most important works which the farmers are doing in spare time in the villages. It increases their income. Many farmers are keeping shops and provide essential items to others. Some are working as potters, carpenters. blacksmiths etc. in addition to their main occupation of agriculture, and that increases their income.
The villagers are deeply religious. They worship a number of gods and goddesses. They devote regular time in prayer and worship. The village priest enjoys great respect. The villagers are highly orthodox. They are the victims of superstition. They follow the traditions and customs which their ancestors transferred to them. Many kinds of blind beliefs, which have no scientific reasons are flourishing among them in the villages. They live in constant fear of ghosts. They believe in a number of omens.
The villagers have very good social relations with each other. Their life is corporate and interdependent. They depend on each other for the supply of their daily wants. They share in the joys and sorrows of each other. They help each other whole heartedly at the time of need. Their social sense is so strong that the guest of one is considered as the guest of all. Not only within the village, they have the good social relations with the people of neighbouring villages. They know about the history of relations which their ancestors tied up with the people of neighbouring villages and they want to strengthen it by inviting them on important occasions.
The evening for the villagers is enjoyable. They assemble in one place. They enjoy that crowd. Their chatting and talking goes on till late hours. That is their famous means of entertainment. After that they return home and enjoy sound sleep.
The villagers are generally poor. Some of them do not have sufficient food to eat. Many of them are not having house to live in. They face hard life. They cannot buy suitable cloth to meet the seasonal requirement due to shortage of money. Their children do not get good education and health care. They borrow money from village money lenders. Many villagers are remaining in debt throughout their life frequently. They are not able to return the money for which they are victimized by the money lenders.
The big problem in the villages is transportation. There are no roads in many villages. They are cut-off from cities. They cannot take their agricultural products to market for sale. There is no electrification in a number of villages in spite of time lapse of 60 years of our independence. Their houses are generally found dark after the sunset. There is no proper drinking water in many villages. They are the victims of numerous diseases in the absence of government hospitals. The condition of health care is pathetic in remote areas.
There is a great requirement to increase schooling facilities in the villages. Adequate steps are to be taken by the Government to arrange vocational institutes for upgrading the skill of the people. The small scale industries are also to be encouraged in rural areas. Panchayat Raj is to be introduced in each and every village for their improvement. The health care facilities are required to be increased. The co-operative societies are to be formed for financial assistance on easy terms and low rate of interest. The roads should be expanded for connecting the villages with the cities. The cottage industries are to be promoted. There is a requirement to arrange technical institutes like engineering colleges in rural areas at least at the ratio of 1 for 8 to 10 villages for enabling youth to get higher technical education conveniently. Self-employment is to be encouraged. If required, the Government should extend all support including financial assistance to the rural people. The agricultural standard needs to be modernised for better production. India is a country of villages. 70% of its total population live in the villages. We in India can do better progress only after improving the condition of the people of the villages by uplifting them educationally, socially, economically and profession-ally. It will help them in raising their aptitude for working and improving their standard of living according to the modern needs.
