Knackered Of Urban life?

After growing up in a second-tier city for almost 18 years, I always dreamt about living a life in a lush green village, where I can hear the sounds of birds every morning instead of mobile alarms, no more skimmed or stored milk for my morning coffee, and yeah most importantly no bread/cereals for my breakfast.

 

For the past 8 years, I have lived my life in the city and still, I feel, I lack something, which can often seem minuscule. However, only a drop of glue is necessary to keep something larger together.

 

So ask anyone in the city who lives a very modern and lavish lifestyle. Do they really have inner peace?

If it was me, I would say a big "No". Here is what I would want my typical, ideal life to be like:

 

Let's start the journey with a mountain, rising sun and birds chirping and tweeting - a typical filmy opening.

 

My house, built of bricks but with proper ventilation. The rising sun rays to awake me from my sleep with a healthy, brisk dosage of Vitamin D. I wake up and come out to the backyard that is buzzing with activities. I have a glimpse of the coconut trees and count if some coconuts have fallen. Neem stick is my favourite toothbrush, charcoal my best paste! And then I move to take a mug made of bronze and fill water to wash my face with (do not expect a soap or face wash) clay/bean powder. Yes, I am done with freshening up, let’s move to the kitchen.

 

A very big, old style kitchen. My grandmother is sitting on the floor peeling the garlic and asking my mom to make breakfast as my dad has to go farming early. On the other side, my aunt is making chutney, I just see the kitchen is busy, but still, I ask for a coffee. I am a pet of my grandparents and hence my grandma shouts at my mom to give me a coffee (big smiles of mine!).

 

There are small holes against the stove area for the smoke to escape from the kitchen via which my mom calls the milk boy of our house to get fresh milk from the cow for the coffee. It just takes 20 minutes to get coffee from the order time and, it's always worth the wait! A good day starts like this. The next would be bathing and moving on to the breakfast area.

 

No separate dining hall, we have an open area outside the kitchen, where we sit on the floor to take our food. The eldest of the family is already out for work, now the rest of us (my mom, grandma, aunt, and 4 siblings - 2 cousins and 2 of my own) sit together. Yes, a big family, joint family.

 

If it’s a weekday, we go to school and the younger siblings stay at home play with goats, chickens, and hens, pampered and guarded by all the three ladies of the family. Lunch is brought to us to the school either by my aunt or mother, which freshly cooked and hot. Remember, all the ingredients used in the food are grown on our own land without pesticides and insecticides. Whatever is there for lunch, it's always yummy and healthy.

 

One school is over we walk back home happy. In the evening it is a practice to sweep the entrance of the house, mop it with cow dung and draw a 'kolam' or traditional design as a sign of welcome.

 

After reaching home mom is already ready with tea and evening snacks. Snacks are definitely not any junk items. It would be a traditional healthy snack like rice flour muruku, soybean snack, vada (both deep and shallow fry) made out of homemade groundnut and coconut oil. Completely healthy right? Yes, off course it is! The next two hours would be study time, no TV, no mobile, no video games, no laptops. just books and you, healthy and sound study time!

 

So, now the time is 8.30 PM. Dad, uncle, and grandfather are back home. They never come back home empty-handed. They either bring flowers, some grains or eatables grown in the land or bought on the way. Once they reach home, they freshen up and spend time with us talking about the day's happenings at school and what we have been doing. Post this they discuss other stuff with the ladies in the family.

 

Most importantly, no decision is taken without the opinion or interest of women. In fact, they are the decision makers!!

 

This is how a typical day would go on in a village, which is soothing and sustainable. We would live in synergies of love, care, pamper, boredom, natural and healthy lifestyle. This ecosystem would lead to an enduring culture. "Village" would be the backbone of any economy and lifestyle.