The Modern World
K S S Pillai
There are bound to be changes when a place develops. People also overexploit nature in the name of development. Some areas of the country are notorious for such ‘developments’ as building on hilltops and encroaching on rivers, canals, and forests. Nature then shows its fury, with flash floods, landslides, and the entry and destruction of crops by wild animals.
When I settled in the present place in the late 1960s, it was a sleepy town with one multi-storey building. Now it has changed so much that a person visiting it after many years will have difficulty in recognising it.
The same thing has happened to my birthplace. I had left it years ago. I used to visit it when my parents and siblings were alive, but time has taken its toll, and none of them is alive today, decreasing my visits. I stay with one of my nephews, whose house is close to the Pamba River, during such visits. Lying alone at night, I often remember my native place in the past.
When I left it years ago, there was no bridge over the river, nor was its flow contained by a dam upstream. As the houses did not have bathrooms, all villagers bathed in the river.
The school-going children would bathe with their fathers in the morning, and most of them prayed at the local temple before taking breakfast and going to school. It was the turn of women in the afternoon, who took their time for bathing, washing clothes, and gossiping.
The river was deep, and the water flowed fast. Most houses had wells for water. Those who had no wells and lived near the river drew water for daily use from it. The water was so pure in the absence of factories and the use of chemicals in agriculture that it could be drunk directly without any ill effects.
There was a village of fishermen on the other side of the river. The men went to the nearby Arabian Sea for fishing. People assembled on the riverbank and auctioned their catch the next morning.
Most women would have their large baskets full of different types of fish and visit our village to sell them. There was a church nearby, which the Christians from my village visited.
As schools, hospitals, markets, and even teashops were located in our part, people would cross over from the morning. There were many people, males and females, with their country boats, ferrying people for a nominal fare.
Most houses were thatched with seasoned coconut leaves. They were renewed every year with neighbours’ participation. Most houses did not have an electric connection, which was a new entrant. An electric line passed through the main road, which had wooden poles with bulbs that shone at night.
The houses did not have modern kitchen gadgets. All had hearths for cooking, and some of the split wood was stored above them to dry. The kitchens had a flat grinding stone for grinding coconut and spices and a round one for making batter for idlis and dosas. There was also a wooden grinder for dehusking paddy.
As passenger buses were ferried across rivers, it took a long time to reach the destination. The able-bodied people often preferred to walk the distance barefoot. There used to be hedges with wild bushes on every property’s boundary, and the students returning from school would pluck their sweet fruits and fill their stomachs.
Everything has changed now. Concrete structures with swanky cars in front have replaced the old houses, like compound walls replacing hedges. The houses have piped water and water purifiers. The kitchens have modern gadgets like gas for cooking, refrigerators, food processors, ovens, air conditioners, and ceiling fans.
Walking is done only on the machines in health clubs. Motor vehicles are used to travel even short distances. Children are sent to English-medium schools by paying hefty sums, and they wear uniforms with neckties and leather shoes even when the weather is hot. Even children have smartphones, iPads and laptops.
I often wonder which world I would choose if given a choice.
(The author is a retired professor of English. He is a regular contributor to ‘The Kashmir Vision. His articles and short stories have appeared in various national and international publications)
