THE RURAL INDIA : A VISION

RURAL INDIA: POSSIBILITIES AND BEYOND 
~SHASHANK TRIPATHI

I WAS BORN IN THE CITY OF GORAKHPUR, UTTAR PRADESH. BUT THE LAND WHERE THE ROOTS OF MY ANCESTRY LIE IS A SMALL VILLAGE IN THE DEORIA DISTRICT OF UTTAR PRADESH. ONE CAN EASILY IDENTIFY IT AS A TYPICAL INDIAN VILLAGE WITH SIMILAR STORIES AND GOSSIPS GOING ON AROUND! 
SINCE MY CHILDHOOD I WAS VERY ATTACHED TO MY ROOTS. THOUGH I WAS BROUGHT UP IN THE METROPOLITAN ATMOS OF DELHI, BUT THE ONLY PLACE THAT EVER ATTRACTED ME HAS BEEN MY VILLAGE. 

THE RURAL INDIA HAS HAD THE ESSENCE OF INDIAN CULTURE, KNOWLEDGE, TRADITIONS, AND BELIEFS SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING. EVERY TEA STALL IS THE ARENA OF POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS WHERE, THE SELF PROCLAIMED POLITICAL EXPERTS, CAPABLE OF SHAMING THE GREATEST LEADERS, HAVE THE HEATED DEBATES. EVERY CRICKET GROUND HAS SOME "POTENTIAL SACHIN TENDULKARS" SHOWING OFF THEIR TALENT. EVERY HOUSE HAS A MASTERCHEF WHO REMAINS UNREWARDED FOR HER EXTRAORDINARY COOKING SKILLS. EVERY SCHOOL HAS SOME "POTENTIAL NATION BUILDERS" WHO REMAIN UNNOTICED AND UNTRAINED.
EVERY UNDERPRIVILEGED INDIAN HAS THE SPARK THAT CAN IGNITE THE NATION BUILDING PROCESS.

THEN WHERE IS THE RURAL INDIA LAGGING?

1. THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF THE VILLAGERS:
   Poverty in rural India is rampant with the average annual earning of a small and                  marginal farmer household at ₹79,779 in 2015-16, according to the Committee on
  Doubling of Farmers’ Income. And also, in India,  almost 91% of households are marginal,        small and medium farmers who cultivate on less than 2 hectares (5 acres) of land. This sums up to present the fact that, rural India is facing grave economic problems.
2  OPPORTUNITIES:
  Even after having reservations for the economically weaker sections of the society in the institutions and job opportunities, the rural student has to face a tough, competitive challenge to achieve the same thing which an urban student can have easily. Why does this even happen? It can be credited to the vast difference in the quality of education, training, guidance and exposure in the rural and urban areas.

3. ALIENATION FROM THE GLOBAL WORLD : 
  Technology has set its roots in the rural world as well. Today, it is hard to find any house in a village which does not have the access to the TV or at least news about the happenings all around the world, from the white house to the local surrounding.
  Fully incorporated into the ideological structure of the world, the rural society, when contrasted with their lifestyle and living standards caused due to urban-rural inequalities and inadequacies,     leads to alienation, besides whatever entertainment technology may bring.
4. DISPARITIES IN INCOME DISTRIBUTION :
  According to the data shown by NSSO, 39% rural population possesses only 5% of the rural assets, while, on the other hand, 8% top households possess the 46% of total rural assets.
 

WHEN I WAS YOUNG AND USED TO VISIT MY VILLAGE, THE THING THAT FASCINATED ME THE MOST WAS THE COWS IN ALMOST EVERY HOME. I LOVED FEEDING THE COWS AND OFFERING GRASS TO THEM. IT EXCITED THE LITTLE ME, A LOT. MOREOVER, WHEN THE MILKMAN CAME TO MILK THE COW, I ENJOYED HOW HE TIED A ROPE AROUND THE COW'S LEGS AND HOW GENTLY HE USED TO LET HIS HANDS FLOW AND MILK THE MOTHER COW. GRADUALLY THINGS CHANGED. NOW I DO VISIT MY VILLAGE, BUT VERY FEW COWS ARE TO BE SEEN. DAIRY PRODUCTS ARE BEING SOLD IN THE MARKETS AND THAT TOO FOR HIGH PRICES. 


Gradually, the migration of a big population from the villages to the urban centres in search of job opportunities has left behind a void in rural India. From 72.19% of the population living in rural areas in 2001 to 68.84% in 2011 to 65.97% in 2016, rural India has seen a gradual migration towards the urban areas.
Where, on the one hand, migration to urban areas brings new opportunities and possibilities for the migrating villagers, on the other hand, it leads to the breakdown of the linkage between urban advancement and cultural roots, that rural India is. If someone asks me, under which sky can I experience the peace of life, see the real India, explore the festivals, treat myself with some Indian delicacies, meet the most humble and simple people, experience the spark of national progress, I should point to, without any doubt, rural India.
A question which remains unanswered and ignored is that " WHY DO THE VILLAGERS NEED TO MIGRATE TO THE CITIES IN SEARCH OF JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES ? " and, "WHY DON'T THEY GET THE SIMILAR LIVING STANDARDS AND OPPORTUNITIES ON THEIR DOORSTEP ?".






Is education the only parameter restricting the rural population from active participation in the mainstream world?
Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan had said, and I quote, " The aim of education is not the acquisition of information, although important, or acquisition of technical skills, though essential in modern society, but the development of that bent of mind, that attitude of reason, that spirit of democracy which will make us responsible citizens. "
Most of the villagers migrating to cities are bound to work in harsh conditions. They are working as masons, carpenters, mechanics, electricians, rickshaw-pullers and vegetable vendors.
They do not get a constant flow of capital and hence their living conditions do not change at all and rather, gets worsened due to the high cost of living in the cities which they cannot afford. Their kids cease to get the education, which they must, in the cities.
This widens the gap and flames up the fire of alienation among the rich and the poor.

IT WAS THE MONTH OF MAY. MY ELDER COUSIN WAS GETTING MARRIED SOON AND ALL OF MY FAMILY HAD GATHERED IN OUR VILLAGE. THE FULL FLEDGED PREPARATIONS FOR THE CEREMONY WERE GOING ON. BUT SUDDENLY THE WATER TANKER IN OUR HOUSE STARTED TO LEAK. NOW, WHEN SO MANY PEOPLE GATHER FOR SOME CEREMONY, WATER BECOMES THE MOST CRUCIAL RESOURCE. AND LEAKING WATER TANK WAS NOT AT ALL A GOOD SIGN. MY FATHER LEFT IN THE SEARCH OF A PLUMBER. HE HAD TO GO TO ANOTHER VILLAGE, WHICH IS AROUND 12KMS FROM OURS, TO BRING A PLUMBER. HE RETURNED AFTER AN HOUR.

The absence of basic facilities is another matter of concern. The majority of the working class is either working in the agricultural fields or has migrated to cities to earn more or for getting educated. Merely a fraction of the rural population is skilled enough to provide these basic facilities to the rural population. The imbalance in the facilities, which is driving the migration towards big cities, creates a wide gap in living conditions of rural India. The hospitals, educational institutions, good infrastructure, availability of basic amenities, exposure to the global world are a fraction of the things which any society has the right to have. When it comes to rural India, it lacks most of them, which again, pushes away the rural population to the cities.

WHENEVER I VISITED MY VILLAGE, I SPENT MOST OF MY TIME PLAYING CRICKET WITH MY FRIENDS IN THE CRICKET GROUND JUST BESIDES OUR HOUSE. LAST YEAR WHEN I VISITED MY NATIVE PLACE, ONE OF MY VERY GOOD FRIENDS, SARVESH, WAS NOT PRESENT THERE. I GOT TO KNOW THAT HE HAS SHIFTED TO THE CITY OF VARANASI FOR CONTINUING HIS FURTHER EDUCATION AND THEN HE'D BE GOING TO SURAT IN GUJARAT, WHERE HIS FATHER IS ALREADY EMPLOYED AS A DAILY WAGE WORKER AND WILL SEARCH FOR SOME APPROPRIATE JOB FOR HIMSELF. 

The lack of job opportunities has been another factor. The educated rural population has no profession to profess in their villages and hence they move to an urban area. The driving force which can provide jobs in rural India can be the capitalist approach towards the same. But private firms show no interest in investing in rural areas, maybe, in the fear of not gaining enough profits. This leaves the rural population with no other option but to migrate.
What makes this migration, a sign of deterioration of the nation is the aftereffects it creates. The agricultural sector, even today, provides livelihood to about 65% of the total population, but the share of agriculture in the GDP is as low as 17%. Disguised unemployment in the agricultural sector has been the prime reason. Since we have not been able to provide the rural population with enough jobs and skills, the unskilled and uneducated population is bound to work in agriculture.
Another thing which must be looked upon is the social changes in rural families. Though they live in rural areas, the ghost of urbanization has set its roots in rural areas. Social urbanisation leads to increasing following of urban lifestyle and hence increasing the purchase of ideologies like individualism. For a country like India, which has since ages, been the epitome of cultural prosperity, the large web of festivals, fairs, melas and several other spiritual practices, it'd be devastating to fall prey to the urbanization of our rural roots.

On the one hand, we want our rural India to grow into the prosperous, and self-efficient region, while on the other hand, we have to ensure that it doesn't lose its cultural roots. Due to fast migration from the villages and lack of opportunities, the day is not far when we will lose our culture at the hands of urbanisation and modernisation of villages, just like many western nations did. The local art, which gives a unique identity to the ethnic groups, villages and districts, is fading away. The folk songs and folk dances are subtly disappearing. The culture which India carried on its shoulders for ages, will be lost within no time if this is neglected for a longer period.

But, then, "WHAT ARE THE WAYS OUT OF THIS ?"

The very basic need right now is having skilled labour. Aspiring to be the next superpower, India needs skilled labour to get hold over the markets around the world. And there can be no better people than the rural unskilled workers who are disguisedly unemployed and working in the fields for survival. Imparting skills to rural youth can be of great benefits. It will also invite several private industries to rural India and solve a big problem of lack of job opportunities and also, the private industries will have cheap but skilled labour to work for them.
For this, SKILL CENTERS can be of great help, which can be opened up in rural India to train the poor children, who roam around in search of work to fulfil their family needs, the necessary skills so that they do not become a liability for the nation in future. Not only will this produce skilled labour but also create jobs for trainers, receptionists, peons, cleaners etc. With the advent of SKILL CENTERS, new markets will open up to fulfil the need of the institutes, further providing opportunities for the unskilled population.

Though many acts and projects are passed on papers, a very few come into being on the grass-root level. The government must actively take part in it for the goodwill of the nation. Establishment of new hospitals and educational institutions can provide newer job opportunities and also check the migration, which we have experienced in the past. The students will not have to migrate to cities for getting good education and exposure and hence can contribute to the rural upliftment.

The rural families must be encouraged to have cattle and meet their daily dairy needs through them. This will solve the problem of malnutrition in rural families and also make the families self-sufficient. Promotion of sericulture, poultry farming, apiculture, and dairies in rural India will link the rural areas to the urban markets and also provide even more opportunities by raising the demand for logistics and new routes that link the villages to the cities and towns. It will also increase the flow of goods from the cities to villages.

The development of a nation hinges on how much its rural segment has been mobilized to contribute to the overall growth. While material growth is evident amongst many nations, the cultural dividend is missing. Some have lost their cultures to an extent that now they are picking up bits and pieces of their cultural heritage, whatever little can be traced, to revive some of their cultures. To not let this happen to our very own nation, we will have to look towards the upliftment and promotion of our cultural heritage as well. And rural India again will be the key to upholding this great and ancient culture for the ages to come.
Modernising rural India and at the same time not compromising with the cultural roots it waters must be our goal. To uphold that, the educated, literate and aware citizens must come forward and organise cultural fairs in the villages as well as cities to boast of the diversity we carry and at the same time make the present generation aware and proud of the cultural lineage they belong to. Promoting the local art and artists and organising exhibitions of the folk art of India will bring many visitors and also generate revenue for the artists and motivate them to keep the art alive.

Bharatvarsh is one of the oldest civilisations on the planet. It has produced gems that have guided the human minds since ages. From the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Brahmanas, to the epics like Mahabharata, Ramayana and the Bhagavad Geeta, this land has nurtured the human mind in a way that no other civilisation could even think of. It also has faced invasions, loots, attacks and colonisation, and has stood strong against them all and yet enduring its culture all through this. With the aspiration to become the "vishwaguru" and guide the world as a new superpower, India still has got a long way to achieve that feat. Nevertheless, with the consistent efforts of the youth towards the establishment of an India which will be the epitome of advancement, knowledge, power, strength, cultural diversity, science and research, and of humanity, we can, without any doubt, drive India to newer heights. The day is not far when India will be seen as the mother of all the other nations, guiding them to the path of humanity and wisdom. For this, we need to start working today, take rural India to new heights, work in such a way which eliminates the wide gap between poor and rich, urban and rural and take away the power of the vicious circles which have been looting the nation till now.
I look forward to seeing the new, united, powerful, wise, and fierce India which will make the dreams of our ancestors come true. 
JAI BHARATVARSH.