Village Life or Life in a Village
Introduction: There is no noise and
bustle in a village. Silence prevails in the rural areas. The whole atmosphere
in the town is calm and quiet. So, the village people live a peaceful life.
Village
life – dull and monotonous: Life in the rural areas of Bangladesh is generally
dull and monotonous. The village people are simple, religious and conservative.
They do not like to adjust to the modern ways of life. There lies a
worth-noticing contrast between the life of the villagers and that of the townspeople. Sometimes the villagers have superstitious beliefs.
Different classes of people in a
village: The villagers may be classified into three main classes – the rich,
the middle class and the poor labour class. The rich people generally leave the
village and flock to the towns and cities to enjoy its multiple amenities. The number
of middle-class people is greater in comparison with the other two classes and
this class of people dominate the village society. The vast majority of the village
people belong to the poor working class. These people are poor peasants and
landless agricultural labourers. The fishermen, the tailors, the blacksmiths
and the weavers also belong to this class of working people.
Life of the rich people: Those who are
comparatively wealthy, lead an indolent and easy-going life. They are late risers
who take their seat in the bunglow having breakfast. In the bunglow they discuss
the current affairs with others of the village and settle disputes. Going out
the inspect the inspect the work of the labourers engaged by them for different
purposes. They bathe and return home. Before having a bath they rub mustard oil
all over their body. Having lunch they enjoy regular naps and nobody disturbs them
during this time.
Life of the middle-class people: The middle-class people work hard for their survival in the village. The unemployed among
them spend their life in a happy-go-like manner. Some of these middle-class
people are land owners having large farms and necessary agricultural tools. The
labourers work hard for them and grow crops. The owners of the land supply
seeds, cattle and other necessary things and supervise personally the work
of these labourers. The unemployed among them live as burdens on the shoulders
of the active owners of the land. They participate in village politics and are
full of petty jealousies. The mid-day meal of the middle-class people consists of
rice, pulse and one or two small bowls of fish or vegetables. They sleep for a
while in the afternoon and spend the evening playing cards or in amusements.
The busiest people in the village: The busiest
people are the poor labourers in the town. They work hard from dawn to dusk,
maintain their life by the swat of their brow and supply essential goods to both the urban and rural areas with their daily needs. They are not well-paid
in exchange for their hard labour, so they have to continue ill-fed and
ill-clad. They frequently fall victim to malaria, diarrhoea and other diseases
and suffer a great deal as they cannot afford to spend money on any medical treatment.
The farmers get up very early in the morning and go to the field to eat a quantity
of stale rice. The sun and rain are their companions till evening. Some of them
return home at midday while others do not. Their mid-day meal is sent to the
field. Sometimes their mid-day meal is carried by their wives. They eat rice
with green chilli and onion. In the evening they gather in the lawn of a
well-to-do village and spend the time in gossiping or merry-making.
Life of the women: The women of the
village get up at sunrise and do their household duties. Most of them are
illiterate and they are confined within the jurisdiction of the village. They are
very dutiful and affectionate. Often the wives of the farmers work together
with their husbands at home or in the field.
Conclusion: The villagers live a happy
life as they are satisfied with what they have. They lack many amenities of
life. They are akin to one another by strong bonds of affection, love and
fellow-feeling. In times of danger, they cooperate with one another. They belong
to joint families, the members of which are related together by the strongest
bonds of affection. Sometimes, the village people are involved in village
politics. When some people quarrel with one another, the village snobs make
them come to compromise. They also share their joys and sorrows being related
to one another.
