Life in an Indian Village

The day dawned clear and bright. I awoke, feeling happy and excited. That day, I was to go to Lohegaon on a camp as a part of the Ncc training. Lohegaon is a small village on the outskirts of Pune. 30 of us, cadets, met at the St bus stand. Amidst great hustle and bustle, we boarded the bus, gingerly threading our way through baskets and bags of vegetables and all that cluttered the passage. Only a few found seats to sit. I noticed the villagers staring at us with frank curiosity. May be it was our uniform that caught their attention. As we left the crowded streets of the city, the scenery changed to one with hills and greenery all around. To pass time we sang songs, cracked jokes and made a lot of din. Before we realized we had reached our destination, the journey was over.

We looked around and found a good place to camp, a small distance away from the village proper, and set up our tents. All the time a look of village urchins was following us. A few brave ones even darted in and out of the tents giggling amongst themselves.

After a wash and snack we went to meet the village Sarpanch. Dada Vatunbe, the Sarpanch, welcomed us and entertained us to a lovely feast of 'bajre Ki roti', 'dal' and fresh fruits. He then took us around the village. Huts made of mud and straws were found all around. A few one-storeyed dwellings were also there, with cows and buffaloes kept on the ground floor. The villagers talked with us with open friendliness. They were full of questions about the city, and about our own activities.

Back at the camp, as we rested for the night, I was struck by the absolute calm of the place. Oh, what a great bliss it was to get away from the unending stream of the cars and the trucks continuously roaring their horn even if it was only for a few days! The peace and free from disturbance, we experienced, was really welcome.

Next day we awoke to the sound of the village cock. Washed at a brook rumbling nearby, with clean and cool water fit to drink and cook with. The villagers insisted on cooking our meals for us and would not take 'no' for any answer.

We toured the village again, visiting the 'primary school' (in villages it is known as 'Balwadi school'). Then we went to a few houses and were really surprised that they had electricity, even a music system and even a community television (t.v) provided by the Government for the whole village.
The villagers live in the midst of natural surroundings. The famous English poet, "Cowper", has described the charms of nature by observing,
"God made the country and the man made the town."

We enjoyed the beauty of rising sun and sweet breeze of the day dawn. The sweet songs of the birds and the greenery of the field around are the various pleasures that delight us in the countryside. The villagers pass a healthy and a peaceful life. There is no smock and no noise in the village. They lead a simple life and their desires are very few. They cultivate their farms situated in the neighborhood of the village. Spinning and weaving is one of the most important cottage industries of the villages. Besides this, there people keep shops and provide the necessaries of life to the villagers. There are potters, carpenters, blacksmith's etc. to fulfill their needs.

The villagers are deeply religious. They are socially knit together. Their social sense is very strong that the guest of one is considered as the guest of all.
In the villages there are no proper medical facilities. Often there is no qualified doctor. The villages are highly in sanitary and many infections diseases break out from time to time. There should be at least one good hospital within an area of five miles.

The chief occupation of the villagers was, of course, agriculture. A number of crops were grown and sold in the cities. I was delighted to see the tube wells, sprinkles and fertilizers being used by the farmers. Truly, the villagers were progressing towards a good future. The men left their homes at dawn to work in the field, coming home only for lunch and some rest, returning again to till the soil until dusk. The women helped them during the harvesting of the crops. They also sold their handcrafts to a local cottage industry, thus contributing their share to the family income.

The next day, much to our delight, was the 'Basant' fair. It was held at the village temple. The villagers were attired in their finest clothes and fully finery. They first prayed at the temple, than surged towards the temporary bazaar or 'Haat' which proved to be the chief attraction of the fair. The shopkeepers were selling just about anything, ranging from wheat, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruits to ribbons, pins, bangles, sweets and many more things.

An old juggler and an acrobat were the star attraction of the fair. How they maid us laugh with their wonderful acts and comic looks! What a joyful atmosphere was there, with young boys screaming, laughing, running hither and thither and girls have a gala time trying out bangles, colorful ribbons and new clothes! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

On the next day when we got up the boys were waiting outside our tents to play with us. The games that we played were very different to us but were very interesting.

On the next day it was the time to leave the camp place and go back home. The camp was of a week and how it had passed any one didn't know. It had passed so quickly. Every one in the camp the boys, girls and even our sirs left that place with a heavy heart but full of rich and varied impression. The simple, free-loving nature of the villagers and their hospitality really captured our hearts. Gandhiji has rightly said, "India lives in its villages." Truly, the camp at Lohegaon was an experience that left an indelible mark on my mind.