When the word "rural" flashes in our mind, then an imagery world starts appearing slowly engaging all the remaining five senses we still own. The bells that hung on the neck of bulls start coming as a soundtrack carrying with it the picture of green fields and muddy roads. The sun-tanned faces with wrinkled smiles, the half-nude kids and the silence of women are seen filling lives in the open spaces. The smell of wet mud and the wind cascaded with the wild flowers fill the aroma. The food spiced up with the smoke of burnt woods gives an enchanting taste and the feeling of the wet grass with dewdrops under our bare feet wins over the luxuries we avail at an expensive spa.
We do have the other side as well that again reminds us of the true simplicity of life, where there are no yearnings for unnatural luxuries. The word " simplicity" according to our perception is not what has been described in the above paragraph but rather it has some complex understanding of the word in our minds that we seldom reveal. For instance it reminds us of the open foggy fields during early morning with not so embarrassing sight of young men and women holding silver pots in their hand and walking proudly on being punctual with their poop schedule. However, there are exceptions for other countries apart from India.
It's again followed by men and women bathing in the abode of true nature, having speedy conversation with the people like the vocalists following the music track of their soapy rubbing hands. How neatly they expose getting their hands inside the wrapped towel in a perfect rubbing motion again with pride to reveal their cleanliness. Its again the rural simplicity, as the same act in the urban world can get anyone accused of showing erotic act in the public.
I remember a ceremony, where a man had to pay the owner of the bull for getting his cow pregnant and it was either hourly or a per day basis. The man with the cow stayed for whole day with the honeymoon couple to assure that his payment would not just go for giving a ride to the other man's bull.
The houses flagged with the colorful unisex undergarments are ignored in a way as if the apparels ornate the houses. Such is the simplicity that recalls in our mind and it has been set as a strong perception, whenever our mind is driven to texture a perspective for defining the word "Rural".
Now, with the span of time the changes we have traveled with has obviously constructed a different perspective of urbanized life, but we hold the same perspective of the rural life. However, the same perspective may not match today's rural life as unlike the old times, changes have traveled faster than our imagination to even the places where just two or three houses can be counted as population of the village. Now it may lead you to astray when you endeavor to recollect the old perceptions and build a new rural picture in your mind as things may be totally different when you truly encounter today's rural places.
So let me just fill the changes in your mind taking the same old picture to help you get an advanced picture of today's urbanized rural.
Radios have been replaced by mobile phones, but still the lack of awareness regarding sound pollution exists without the slightest change. The mobile phones with torches playing the songs through loudspeakers is a call to the houses that a person is just passing by the road. The advancement that has nearly exceeded the urban culture is the knowledge regarding the various offers of the network providers on their recharge packages. It has taken up a form of hot conversation among the rural environment where people may be heard explaining the attractive offers to their fellow mates more seriously. However, the objective of mobile phones are still unresolved where people still travel to the top of a rock, climb a particular tree, near the window of Mr X's house, or some predefined "network places" to have conversation with their dear ones over their phone. Such network places sometimes become a hub where the business minded people can use it as " cafe "n" coffee" or "Barista".The exchange of SIM cards and micro chips nearly match the buy and sell of stock markets.
The feeling of embarrassment running to fields with the silver pots greeting the people has obviously been solved with clean toilets and bathrooms. However, its just the change of destination with the same routine. The only replacement seen is the toilet located far from the house with no plumbing facility. So the picture is again the same where you can see people running not with the pots but a bucket of water. The change is the increase in the size of water container, as this time apart from cleanliness you also have to flush it off.
The flags of undergarments are obviously removed from the open patio and have now found its new place inside the bathroom, where chances are always there that either the pink one or the one with a hole may fall on your face while you enter the bathroom. So the change is that your closeness to the family becomes more vigorous. The most important part is that you never know whether it was still waiting for its laundry wash.
So, it depends upon one's own perception on how the things can be taken as in its urbanized state or rural state. Ultimately, the differences always exist not in the implementation of things but an understanding on how it can be implemented.
