THE BEAUTY OF A VILLAGE LIFE

                                                 THE BEAUTY OF A VILLAGE LIFE

Life in a village to many people is all hard work and no joy. Village is where we consider the uneducated and rustic people live covered in grime and filth with little or nothing in life. Yes, uneducated they may be and they might not have all the junks of modernity in their lives if we are to measure village life by these irrelevant yardsticks. Look deeper and there lies the real beauty and vibrancy of a village life that are far too overwhelming than the so called educational qualifications and material possessions that most people in certain bracket are so obsessed with.

Change is inevitable and it is slowly taking place even in the villages but, something can never change that soon and that is the shared communal responsibilities and belongingness, be it in times of joy or despair, in fun and frolic or in tears and heartbreaks.

Conditions and situations change in the village from time to time but, what remains is the solidarity among the village folks that still remain as strong as ever.

At this time of the year, villages are in the thick of farming works. It is around this time that farmers, especially women are busy weeding maize. Young women and girls can be seen in groups working in maize fields taking turns to work in each other’s field every day. The sun may be harsh one day. The next day rain could be relentless and the days may be long but, fields in the villages can always be seen filled with women with kiras held high above their knees. While they work, their backs bent they can always be found discussing issues ranging from politics and current affairs to even raunchy jokes that evoke a barrage of high pitched laughter and giggles intermittently oblivious to beads of perspiration oozing relentlessly from every pores of their bodies.

This time round, their talk ranged from the recent salary raise and how it favoured people at the top when the talk all along was to make the most for those who earn the least. They even share their concerns of who would be looking after their well beings when the people who have all the say are too concerned with their well beings alone. They then talk of what led to the recent suicide of a young policewoman from the village and they have all sorts of hypothesis as to what could have driven the girl to take her own life.

When the women are in group, they hardly care whether anyone is around who can overhear their conversation. It is often talk about men that they find it fun sharing. It can be about a young man following a young woman or a personal and private affair of a young couple that has leaked and may be going around like a bush fire among the women folk that they find fun talking about. Often, after a frenzied chattering someone from the group can be heard bursting out aloud, “Ha Hao...” And the other follow with a flurry of laughter, waves after waves.

Few minutes later there would be another bout of-“Ha Haoo…” and another blitz of laughter reverberates around the lush green maize fields. And at other times, they would be singing together in unison burying the clanking of spades and stones with laughter and songs.

No matter, how hard the day’s work may be, they enjoy working together and burying their difficulties and hardships underneath these joys. At the end of the day’s hard work, they sit around for a drink of local beer and salad before dinner. And another round of strong local brew, coloured red with sandalwood and heated in butter and eggs is normally served at the end to wash the food.

It is not surprising for these young women to sometimes dance for few more hours before they head home, mentally on a high note, although, their bodies go limp for the day. For them, the few hours of sleep is what they get to revitalize their body for another day of work that awaits them the next day.

I can only admire them and salute them for making life so beautiful. I think this is bliss!!!

Gyembo Namgyal

August 12, 2014