India’s urban population is growing continuously. In 1960 the ratio of Urban population Vs rural population was 15% to 85%. Today it is 36% to 64%. The 10 big metropolitan cities of India account for 2 billion of population (200 million). The proportion of population in Metropolitan cities to Small urban centres is 37% to 53%. It implies that population of villages as well as small towns is decreasing day by day. The population of big cities is increasing and bursting at seams. It does have a very catastrophic effect on our societal values, which I shall discuss in next paragraphs.
If you wake up in the morning and check in how many houses are next generation of children living in the villages and small towns. The answer will be very few.
A large segment of young population have gone for studies, got jobs and eventually settled down in large Metropolitan areas like Delhi, Gurugram, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Pune, Chandigarh.
Tomorrow if someone walks through those streets from where he used to walk in his childhood while going to school or having fun with friends, He will find a disturbing silence and if he peeps into the windows of some houses he may find an old couple staring and coughing.
What are the reasons for these deserted houses and empty neighborhoods?
In the age of materialism every person wants to have only one child or may be two so that good education may be imparted to them. The parent’s perception that any education in small towns will not benefit their kids and big towns are only beneficial for their wards lead to shifting of young population to these.
Although even after spending out so much, only about one to two percentage of the children can find place in IIT, PMT, IIMs etc. For the rest of the students parents have to manage admission to engineering, medical or business management on the payment seat basis in host of institutes sprung up near to big cities.
Children studying outside for four years get used to the atmosphere of big cities. Then they find a job there. They also marry classmates or their work colleagues whether parents like it or not. Some force their parents to sell their land and properties to go abroad. These kids seldom return to their birth place. Parents are content about telling others about the progress or salary package of their kids and keep on waiting when kids will visit them or take them to big cities to live with them. Their dream generally remains unfulfilled.
Parents who are still residing at their native place are getting old. Children have taken loan and bought flats in big cities. So their eyes are on the ancestral property as sale proceeds will make them pay up their loans. Some manage to convince their old parents to sell off their property. Some parents do move to flats in big cities but soon due to inadequate space in flats, behavioural issues with their daughter in law, privacy issues and son’s apathy causes them either to shift back to their native place or land up in old age home.
So the villages and small towns give deserted look. Nobody thinks of returning since education facilities, entertainment sources like Malls etc are not available at these small places.
Those having gone abroad seldom visit their parents. Some might come when their parents die to sell the ancestral house and property.
So for Villages and small Towns it is end of an era, where there was hustle and bustle of life, festivals, marriages, family functions…. all gone with the wind in the quest of Good life, Progress and Development.
Is it worth it?
Guchi.
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