Life in Town versus Village

“East is East, West is West and never shall the two twain meet” - Rudyard Kipling. I am now feeling what I haven't felt before; some alien thought conquering my old state. I cannot tell exactly whether that is sign of ageing or my inability to adapt to new environment. I see life in town and village like east and west. I cannot remember how I adjusted my time and stay at Thimphu in my earlier years. When I visited Thimphu in November 2013 on personal reason, I saw many unusual happenings which are so much in contrast to my present place, and which took me aback beyond expectations. 

Physical beauty and charm, readily available materials, including food and luxury items, potentiality to grow in strength – all those are amazing and something to be welcomed. Everything that is available in other countries has become available in Thimphu. One of my Geography teachers of class VIII, who was an expatriate, used to repeatedly ask us one rhetorical question, 'Ask what is not there in India?' In terms of development, Thimphu has become highly dynamic. Seeing Thimphu developing at a faster pace with everything readily available, I remembered the question of my teacher. We can also, in the same way like my teacher, now tell others to ask what is not available in Thimphu.  I see reasons why people, who are adapted to life at Thimphu, either apply for resignation or express so much reluctance, when propose for transfer away from Thimphu. I get vivid picture now why many teachers who have stayed for more than eighteen years in Thimphu  made big hue and cry when they were asked to move away from Thimphu on transfer few years ago. 

But, frankly speaking, city like Thimphu is not a place for person like me. I found it difficult to adjust my three days stay during my last visit. Comfort was only pitying and peeping at me from a far distance. Because of so many scary factors, it could not dare come and take me in its arms. Let alone having peaceful nap during day, it was disturbed even at night by loud honking by drunk and unethical drivers, singing and shouting by indiscipline youths who visited night clubs, fighting in the bars among schizophrenic drunkards in the adjacent buildings, and a quarrel between next door husband and wife over infidelity in the dead of night. Thought crept out of my mind like disturbance in hell would also not be anything different from things happening around Thimphu. I strongly condemn all actions of unruly mobs. Something, to put few disorderly  publics into the mainstream, has to be initiated ere things goes beyond rectification.  

But how? To instill civic sense in natural ways is undeniably hard. Only way I see, in our hand, to civilize an uncivilized citizen is by enforcing it applying physical force or imposing stringent actions whereby any inmate found causing unusual disturbances to the peace and tranquility of other fellow inmates is put behind bar without explanation. It is, I feel, is against human rights but such measures has become a necessity and must remain in force till situation reaches acceptable norms or turns normal. To me; an ordinary Bhutanese, Bhutanese in blood and thought, ways of Bhutanese and our people gradually reaping fruits of transitional period, can be understood. But Thimphu is a place, our capital city, frequented by many people from around the world to have a glance of the last existing “Shangri-la” or the only “GNH” country of the world. Coming in contact with people lacking civic sense, people residing with barbaric nature, people without sense of courtesy and hospitality, tourists may be shocked and ultimately the message they take back home would shock us.

On account of another reason, I find Thimphu strange. Even to reach one’s friends driving is a big problem. Having ten years of driving experience is no pride through the traffic at Thimphu. One has to wonder from where and how to move. Traffic rules changes often. Number of vehicles and novice drivers are on the rise. These situations are worsened by the fact that our traffic police are not trained to handle new comers with civility and kindness. Our police and the way they enforce rules are totally different – rude, impolite and with air of arrogance. They treat drivers with crude and unfriendly nature. When drivers, new to that place, ask them the direction to some location, they won’t have time to answer, instead ask drivers to surrender documents related to driving for questioning them in the wrong place. By observing traffic police and the way they handle customers, I got the notion that it is nothing wrong with an individual, perhaps, our police are trained to be rough and tough. However, I see the present way of handling situations by our police contrary to the police of other countries. I have heard that police in other countries are a guide to new comers. They help new comers in all possible ways. I do not know whether I would be able to feel the change in the way police treat drivers in my lifetime, yet for the smooth traffic and pleasure driving for drivers, now and in future, I like to wish that our police personnel become polite, know that they are not to pour frustrations over someone, use communication skills and apply human psychology while talking with people. I feel training them on those areas are absolutely necessary. If we take lessons from contemporary movies, more and more people turn violent, villainous, destructive not because they have evil natures ingrained in their blood, but are compelled as they get the wrong and unjust treatment from the people dealing with the law. If they fall victims to law, whom should they turn to, to  redress their grievances. They find themselves standing between the devil and the sea.  

Uncontrolled rise in the cost of commodities, unchecked authority in the hands of proprietors and soaring rent of the apartments, fast moving life living less time for family gathering, and turning extended family into a nuclear family are seen to be other problems in the city life. Tenants pay about Nu. 10,000 (ten thousand) for two rooms, one sitting room, one toilet and one small kitchen. I was shocked to hear that the tenants have to pay one month’s rent in advance when they get into any house. What can I do about it? I can only say that a person like me, having humble salary and living, cannot afford to be in such place expecting fortune. Though parents and children live in the same place, they hardly found time to meet each other owing to their own works. If parents have hard time to meet children or vice versa, I can with assurance, say that one day brother may not at all bother to know where his own sister lives. What will happen to our age old close family bondage then? 

Life away from town has a different tale. Road accessibility is poor. Availability of things is scarce. Still, I see people being satisfied, hospitable, and filled with smiles. People offer things to others and opt self to remain hungry, if the things other needed is limited. Though people will have less to offer, they offer wholeheartedly. Not to help others in need is deemed as sinful act so heinous by many, the consequences of which cannot be imagined.   

    

People feel that every person around the community is bound to them by the chain of some relationship. They have accounts to share, a lengthy one starting from their great ancestors, as to how one is related to the other. Even the person residing at the furthest end is kept close at their heart. At the time of misfortune or death in a family, neighbors gather with the words of condolence, offer of finance and goods needed during the funeral and rituals thereafter. The family of the deceased, at the maximum, burdens only the grief over the loss of their beloved ones.

     

Peace is abundance. One can enjoy peaceful sleep even during broad daylight. Rustic life, in the language of education, is less educated, and less civilized; still the people are so humble. People who cheat others are rare. Theft of property from houses, even when kept opened, is never dreamt. One has no reasons to worry. People are innocent. If one wants to hire an apartment on rent, even if one can afford to pay little more, the owner would humbly and willingly take just little by saying, in their true language, ‘nobody has money plant’. People lack awareness. Civic sense like maintaining appropriate drainage system, use of proper toilets, keeping of animals little away from human settlements will have to be taught. But, that is not a big deal which cannot be achieved. With small effort, in the form of campaign, by the people who are aware of health hazards, can bring revolution.

  

I feel that time is a healer as well as a harbinger of change. Time changes everything. Time may change the ways of life in rural areas in the long run. With time people and their behavior may change. Judging by the present scenario, change, I feel, is imminent. But, when rural people reaches the level of urban societies in thought and behavior, I cannot imagine where and in what state will the people residing within the urban boundary reach. 

Rural lives surpassed urban lives by manifold, in attraction, to me and will remain so till eternity!  

N.B: Of many cities that I have visited, both of our country and outside, I chose to write about Thimphu because dawn of the feelings I have mentioned came to me when I visited Thimphu last year. So many positive developments were also spotted there, but the incidences mentioned above intoxicated my mind badly which makes me difficult to forget.