urban or rural life, only time may tell

If you ask a person living in a village "Where would he like to settle if given a choice to select either rural or an urban life?. The answer in most of the cases will be urban. If you shoot same question to someone already residing in cities, he will reply the same as by a villager.

Why do all people prefer to stay in the urban areas and nobody prefer to reside in the villages?

I am lucky enough to have experienced both type of life i.e. rural and urban. My birth place is a small village in western Uttar Pradesh, in India. My father was a farmer and a politician. I got my senior school education from a college located in a small town. After having completed my 12^th standard, I moved out of the village to pursue the higher education. Since then I am staying in a city and rarely get time to visit my village.

Still majority of people having roots in the villages prefer to settle in rural area after retirement from professional life. A lot has changes in the villages now and many have to repent for their decision to migrate to rural areas after staying in the cities for the major portion of their life. This is for several reasons we'll discuss in later part of our discussion.

During my childhood, I have enjoyed every moment of my stay in the village. Although I have to study in my village with the help of Lentern as electricty did not reach Indian villages in those times. Life was little bit hard in the villages. But I enjoyed in the village. I can't forget the nights of the village, everywhere darkness persisted in the villages in absence of electricity and we have to take our dinners sitting near the "chulha" before 7.30 pm. Twenty years ago, gas cylinders were not available in the villages so women in villages used to prepare all the dishes on chulahs, made up of the mud, and wooden sticks or logs were used to prepare your meals. All the females and children have to take their meals in open near these chulhas. After taking dinners, we have to go to bed very early. Television did not make its entry in the villages. Only means of entertainment were either radios or the folk songs or occasional stage plays organized by the village people were only means of entertainment. Occasionally, villages arranged the cultural shows inviting drama parties from outside. My mother has the habbit of tellying stories and her memories of old times. I was thrilled to hear the stories of old days. My mothe roften narrated that during her childhood, she often has to lead the women of the villages, to protest against the british rule. India was a slave state that time and Indians were living under British rule. Most exciting story to me was related with the marriage of my mother and father. Both my parents belonged to Jamindar families (Owners of the village). Forty elephants were used to transport the marriage party of my father and when they reached to my mothers village. Her father arranged one acre sugarcane field and allowed the elephant to feed in the sugarcane field. Indian rural life is different from the country side locations in western countries. All the facilities available in cities are within approach of villagers also barring few like broadband and vehicle transport. Influential villagers (progressive and rich) have their own vehicles to move from one place to another. Even farmers having less holdings also own either a bike or scooty. A decade back, bulloock carts were the only means of transport. However life was enjoyable at that time. We have a horse in our house and frequently have a horse ride. It was more enjoyable to go for a horse riding in open and barren fields of village then going on a drive in a car.

A look of flowered mustard field having few mango trees on the corners of fieldgave too much pleasure to eyes that is difficult to describe. During rainy season rain water would enter in our houses and we played in the water splashing it on each other.

We played regularly in the eveningwith children of same age group . We enjoyed looking at the farm fields in our villages.