The Beauty of My Village

The term village brings to me only one image; that of the little place where I grew up. Till I came to stay there (I started staying there at the age of 10), I never liked the idea of going there. My grandparents stayed there alone till we joined them. We used to occasionally visit them before that.

My house is in a hilly terrain in the district of Kottayam in Kerala. The place is called Karikkattoor. Those of you who have heard about Kottayam will know about the rubber plantations there. My village is no different. The highlight of the place is acres and acres of rubber plantations. But that’s not all that the people in there do. If you take a trip round the place, you will get to see all sorts of vegetation in there like jackfruit trees, mango trees, coconut and other palm trees, tapioca plantations, little bit of vanilla cultivation, coffee,  pepper, ginger, other vegetables, many flowering plants, etc. Almost all houses there have cattle sheds with cows or buffaloes or goats and poultry sheds for chicken.

  

Most of the households around there are self sufficient in vegetables and fruits and milk. Almost all people, irrespective of whether they are men, women, or children, know to work in the fields. People there live pretty much in harmony with nature. The best part is that everyone in there has at least primary or middle-school education which enables them to read and write Malalayam as well as English. Education is given the highest priority in every house in there. Many of the families there have some or all of their kids as graduates or post graduates and higher in all possible disciplines.

One important aspect of a village is that everybody there knows almost all other people living in there both by name and face. It is kind of a boon as well as a bane for you. It is a boon because you have many friends around. It is a bane because rumors both good and bad spread around like wildfire in the whole village. People tend to know all about you in no time even before you know it.

Keeping that one factor apart, life in a village is to be cherished lifelong. A village in Kerala is never a bad place to live in. My childhood was filled with new experiences every day. My school was around 15 kilometers away from my house and the trip to school was scenic. The route was through the banks of a famous stream named “Manimala Aaru”. During winter times, I could see bushes of fog formed over water in the stream while going to school in the morning. One could see small hills covered in greenery on either side of the road.

In a village like mine, you can drink water from anywhere without second thoughts. At my home we have always had water from the well dug in our backyard, and I can confidently say that water from nowhere else has tasted so great to me.

All my memories of the village are filed with colors, and interesting activities. My life there was filled with enthusiasm, joy and creativity. There is always some sort of a positive vibration going around me when I’m there. I tend to be happy there whether I’m alone or in a company of friends and family.