Stop expanding cities and towns - Let Kerala be a model
THE greatest beauty of any country is its rural villages and countryside, where the culture and traditions are preserved and people live as a close community helping each other.
We know that this is true in Kerala and any parts of India. Half of the people of Kerala have migrated to other countries all over the world and few of them visit Kerala every year to be with the family and enjoy the culture.
Kerala, in the meantime, has become a major tourist attraction for people from other parts of India and also foreigners. Therefore, Kerala must maintain its natural beauty and its great communal harmony, besides its people’s friendly approach.
If we look around the world, western cultures advanced faster and became modern countries with a culture based on money, luxury and convenience. Underdeveloped countries like China, India, Brazil, South Africa and even Gulf countries have accepted these phenomena of modernization where people can live with better facilities and convenience.
What happened in this process was that the people lost their individuality and culture trying to adapt to city life. Community life and friendship are lost and selfishness and competitiveness have become the norm.
In every country in the world, people tend to abandon the rural areas and villages and move to the cities where there are better jobs and opportunities to live. Cities and towns are expanding every day, people live in apartments and condominiums where they have all facilities inside and no need to go out.
Now with advancements in technology and social media, people are connected through cell phones and computers, with no need for face-to-face conversations and meetings outside.
The world needs to change the way development is taking place to preserve human culture and behavior. The fast development of cities and towns into a new world of closed communication and remote connections without a community is a dangerous path for humanity.
Let us take the case of Kerala. Most of us born between 1945 and 75 grew up in a rural area or a village. We led a very simple life with neighbors and villagers, most of whom we knew by name and we always felt like we belonged to a larger community.
My village, Kollad, bordering Kottayam town, was not a rural area, still, it was a village where community and social life were always a part of life. Even though there were caste systems and trade identities for different trades, everybody had feelings of friendship and belonging.
Everybody felt safe and comfortable, always ready to help each other. When I visit Kollad now, I see a different place, some people with whom I grew up are still there, but their lifestyle is different. There is no more serenity and simplicity of a village.
Being a tourism state and a beautiful rural region, Kerala should preserve these natural beauty and cultural serenity. Kerala should STOP EXPANDING ITS TOWNS AND CITIES. We can get the same convenience and comfort in rural areas and towns.
We can create better roads for people to travel. We can preserve our great communal harmony and culture. Stop building multifamily condominiums in towns and cities, instead build two or three-bedroom houses in the village and live. Enjoy your simple life in a rural area or village.
Kerala is a model to the world where rural and village culture and life are preserved with people living as a community where human life started.
