Village life
Most of us live in a concrete jungle, which is how cities are known
the world over. Yet, we harbour an innate desire to get away from it all
once in a while to breathe the fresh air in a village with its green
paddy fields and narrow pathways. They are polar opposites - the village
is an elixir for the mind, whereas the city chokes it with its hustle
and bustle.
I grew up in a village off Ambalangoda where life was simply idyllic.
My grandmother owned a paddy field and a vegetable garden which supplied
our food. She bought fish from a fishmonger who visited the village at
least twice a week on a bicycle.
There were many friends I could play with. A stream ran through the
paddy fields, from where we could see the village temple. The village
school had a good roll call of students. Our house bordered the
village’s only road and seeing a vehicle was the highlight of a given
day. It was what you would call the ‘countryside’ in the UK or US.
Unfortunately, not many people have an idea of what the countryside
is all about. Many urban youngsters have no idea at all what it means to
live in a village. Moreover, with many people ‘losing their roots’ in a
commercialized world, they cannot visit a village they can call their
own. Now, they will be able to visit an authentic village located right
within the city or just outside Colombo to be precise. The Ape Gama (Our
Village), a thematic concept village which showcases the lifestyle,
age-old traditions and heritage of an ancient Sri Lankan village, is now
open at the Folk Arts Centre premises in Pelawatta, Battaramulla.
Richness
Ape Gama shows the richness of Sri Lankan culture and the lifestyle
of ancient (and not so ancient) villages comprising wattle and daub and
thatched houses, a paddy field, traditional Kamatha and many other
features. A house where the indigenous physician used to treat patients
(Vedagedara) was also constructed. A special playground has been set for
the village youth to practice traditional martial arts (Angampora).
Visitors will also be get first-hand experience on how traditional
industries such as pottery brass ware, batik and wood craft took shape
in ancient Sri Lanka. There will also be the obligatory restaurant and
food court along with the Laksala outlet which was already operational
there.
This is a commendable move, because authentic villages are
disappearing all over the world, not just in Sri Lanka, as urbanisation
creeps in. Cities are expanding at a rapid rate, blurring the
distinction between the city and the village. Furthermore, the villages
(and villagers) are being assailed by the lures of the city 24/7. Almost
everything that used to be exclusive to the city is now available in the
villages, such as supermarkets, banks and phone kiosks.
The expansion and development of roads have anyway brought villages
and cities closer together. In our connected world, it is naive to
expect villages to remain isolated and untouched.
The migration of villagers to cities also continues unabated,
diminishing the workforce available to the village.
Agriculture, the backbone of the village economy, faces the threat of
the younger generation leaving for white collar jobs in the cities and
even abroad. The latter factor has indeed altered the village economy
almost beyond recognition, as at least one family in even the remotest
village has a breadwinner abroad. The money he or she remits to the
family usually leads to a higher standard of living for the family
concerned.
Development
Villages cannot stand still. They have to move forward with the rest
of the country and the rest of the world. Development has reached even
the most inaccessible villages. In this context, villagers face the
challenge of maintaining their traditional agri-based lifestyles with
the onset of development and technology.
Although some deride the overreaching influence of development and
technology on the village, who can deny the benefits of modern
technology? Developments such as mobile phones have undoubtedly
revolutionised the lives of villagers who earlier had to trudge for
miles to find a telephone. The tractor and other mechanised aids have
made farming less of a chore. On the other hand, there are negative
aspects of the city-village affinity such as the spread of vice in many
villages.
Will villages disappear in the long term? It is a tough question to
answer. Only time will tell whether we can preserve them in their
present form. In the meantime, concepts such as Ape Gama can stress the
importance of preserving our villages and village life even amidst the
relentless pace of commercialisation and globalisation. |