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| A House 15 km outside the Town |
Happiness is derived from the comfort of life. Living
standards determine the way of life besides the earning potential and other
expectations. In a recent study, Switzerland is termed as the happiest nation
in the world. Swiss have shown the world how to be the leader and keep its
people happy. It is now left to other nations to learn the best practices from
them and move ahead.
Among various issues faced by India, the huge population
and its impact on urban life is the matter of concern. People slowly start
deserting their villages in search of green pastures. The sudden spurt in Urban
population has caused many challenges including housing, sanitation and
Transport. It is highly difficult to expand a city which has already reached
the saturation point. Yet the Government is trying all possible ways to meet
the challenges posed for the next decade. Smart Cities are planned adjourning
major cities to accommodate more entrants to cities. Now it is time to think
more about smart villages.
The thought of converting the villages into ‘”smart’”
ones should have occurred and implemented long back to prevent the exodus of
people. The existing people are like ‘” cat on the wall ‘” who seriously think
of leaving the villages and migrate to metros where their children live. Since
the agriculture is monsoon specific, more failures frustrate the agriculturists
to look for lucrative ways. Agricultural sites are being converted into housing
colonies. This dangerous trend has to be checked immediately and alternate
solutions are to be implemented to create confidence in the minds of the villagers.
It is a known fact that most of the villages have
improved in the last few decades due to the availability of infrastructure,
technology and transport. The only missing thing is the absence of earning ways
that match the standard of urban population. If the location is wholly
dependent on agriculture, more agro based industries may provide employment to
them. It is nice to see good educational institutions coming close to the
villages and provide transport to pick the children right in front of their
houses. If the gap between urban and rural lives is narrowed, people will love
to live in their villages.
Good housing was the concern of the past. Gated
communities are coming up some 15 km away from the towns and independent houses
are built to meet the requirement of the customers. Good access to the nearby
town is available to enable the occupants to spend their valuable time.
Alternately, one may prefer going back to the native place and live a
comfortable life. Lot of community services can be extended by owning a
property there. A good backyard can be converted into a good garden with flowering
plants and a part can also become a grove of many trees. To possess a cow adds
value to the life as it is a step towards self-sufficiency. Going for a Gobar
gas plant provides cooking gas round the clock. Thus the village life provides
ample ways to think innovatively.
We come across friends who work abroad remembering the
roots and bringing their families to their native places. It is a proud moment
for them to show the family members the place where they lived and the school
where they studied. They create a passion in the minds of their wards to visit
the native place and stay for a week or ten days. Unfortunately, they do not
have the ancestral home now as the same had been sold early when the previous
generation migrated to Urban areas. It is therefore necessary for the NRIs to
look for a house of their taste and buy them. By doing so, they provide a
breather to the village which is on the verge of becoming a no man’s land.
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