That was a particularly rainy evening. The bus stop was now nothing more than a stand. A bus came just then. As the street light went out, in the darkness emerged a figure, which resembled a girl. She had no umbrella and was wearing a traditional blouse and a long skirt. She looked elegant and was getting drenched. As she stepped into a farmland, which was a shortcut to the interior of her hamlet, she heard the owner of the land cry, “Halt! Who goes there?”. Suddenly, a bright torch beamed at her face.
As Mrinalini was dazed by the sudden brightness, she was stunned for a moment and could not move. The torchlight went upwards, and a rough hand dragged her to what looked like a front door balcony. She was so frightened that she half expected something to go wrong, but the rough hand just left her and handed her a towel. Then, a grumpy voice spoke, “Who are you? Why were you trespassing my field at this time?”
It was a man’s voice. Although it had roughness, it still showed concern. She took a closer look at the man's face, which glowed in the light of the oil lamp at the window. She noticed that she was leaning against the wall. The man, who was muscular, was sitting in an armchair nearby. He looked like he may be in his thirties, was a bit too fair-skinned, wore a white Veshti and a parrot green Polo shirt.
“Haven’t seen you in these parts. Who are you?”
“This hamlet is my native. I was 15 when I left this village to pursue my education. I have studied in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Now, I’ve been working in Delhi for the past one year. It has been 15 years since I came back here. But even I don’t recognize you.”
“Oh, never mind! I belong to a tribe and have been living here for ten years. Tell me more about yourself. Let me get you some tea.”
“Could you kindly switch on the light?” Mrinalini asked as she received her cup, to which the answer was “No electricity.”
Sipping her tea, she said, “My parents didn’t leave this village until eight years back. I have come alone to the village as I felt that I should see the place before I emigrate to Spain, in Europe. I’ve been promoted recently and will be going there permanently.”
“Oh, wow! Congratulations! You know what? I’ve never been anywhere outside this village. Can you tell me the difference between village and city life?”
“Sure! The first difference I would like to point out is electricity. You say there is no electricity and I’ve seen and heard about villages having no electricity for hours every single day! Whereas in cities, you have electricity most of the time. Let us talk about transport and communication facilities. See that bus stand over there? It’s isolated and has no shelter. The road is muddy and gets worse when it rains. If it weren’t for you, I would still be navigating my way in the dark amidst the fields till I get a legit shelter. In the city, roads and bus stands aren’t in such bad conditions, and there are street lights everywhere. You even have houses, shops, malls and theatres everywhere. Public transport is frequent unlike in these parts where you get a bus every hour or so.”
“Interesting. Carry on.”
“Secondly, you have schools and colleges that give you a good education in cities unlike in villages where even primary schools aren’t maintained properly, and education gets neglected. Regarding healthcare, you have first-class hospitals to save your life from accidents and diseases.”
“But I heard that air pollution, water pollution, and noise pollution is rampant in cities, and you don’t get fresh air to breathe.”
“That is sadly true. With more and more people coming to cities on a frequent basis, both population and pollution is rising. But, hey! We have computers, TV, tablets, and mobiles through which we can access the internet and social media! We can even play online games!”
“And get addicted? No, thanks. I have heard of enough suicides, addiction problems, and whatnot when it comes to your social media and online games. Even your internet has both true and false information! I feel so good that we don’t have those facilities in these parts. I don’t have any of those so-called gadgets. I lead a healthy life.”
“We have a well-structured transport network system that can take us places quickly.”
“But they make you lazy. You don’t walk or exercise.”
“We do! We go to the gym. Some of us even try yoga and meditation.”
“Nothing compares to the physical labor we do in farming. We live healthier lives because we’re out there working. In cities, you buy and eat everything, so you don’t know the value of hard labor.”
“We have entertainment options such as museums, parks, movies, coffee shops, clubs, and so on.”
“So what? Do you get this kind of fresh air or long-term good health out of that? You don’t. See for yourself now, how exhausted you are”
Mrinalini was now sitting on the windowpane, tired and unable to argue. She tried hard and said, “A lot of career opportunities are available in cities, not in villages. That is why many villagers come to cities. We get to choose from different cuisines, while most of you eat the same food almost daily. We mind our own businesses and..”
“See!” interrupted the man, “So you accept that people in cities are self-centered people with little to no care about nature or other people! Here in villages, we have a strong bond between people! We know every tiny detail about every one of us and are always involved in their lives. We never hesitate to help one another or even strangers!”
“We may not know our neighbors in cities, but we are broad-minded. We usually don’t indulge in superstitions.”
“Really? You must be really naïve to think that good relationships exist in cities, because the truth is that good relationships exist only in villages. One of my friends is in the city, and he says that in cities if there is a death in one house, a birthday party would be going on in the neighboring house. There will be a funeral and a birthday party running simultaneously! In villages, we even cancel weddings if there is a death in the village, even if we have to cancel at the last moment! We rearrange the wedding for another day..” and the voice faded away.
Mrinalini rubbed her eyes as she realized the voice had stopped. The golden rays of sunlight flashed across her face, and the last thing she remembered was the friendly debate she was having. She felt a soft pillow and a warm blanket covering her. She realized that she was now sleeping on a low bed.
She turned and saw another pillow on the floor. Apparently, the man had shifted her to the bed and had slept on the floor. He had given her the warmest blanket he had and was satisfied with a spare cloth! She finally saw him bringing a hot drink as he said, “Coffee. We may have limited facilities and might not be as well educated as you all, but we never let our guests go without giving them food and rest. I tried waking you up yesterday, as you hadn’t eaten anything, but you didn’t wake up. You have to eat first. Then, I myself will show you around the village. Freshen up.”
Mrinalini smiled as she gratefully drank her coffee.