A Trip to the Bharat in India- Karnala
A Trip to the Bharat in India- Karnala
From the four corners of the blackboards and projectors to the unlimited expanse with open skies and green jungles of the villages in Karnala, the windows of outlook of our young minds were thrust open! The change was refreshing and enlightening at the same time!
As the bus left from outside Wilson College at 6 am in the early morning hours on 28th August, the excitement and curiosity in us was inevitable. Firstly, it was our first trip as a class and secondly this was the first time many of us were going to a proper village and we had heard so many exciting anecdotes of this ritual trip for FY's from our SY's, our excitement was running high. Our weeks of eager anticipation balled up into this huge sphere of excitement and energy which engulfed the whole bus and soon the entire proud batch of FYBMM were singing and cracking jokes! However as we winded up through newer and breath-taking sceneries, everyone quietly returned to their seats, swallowing in the morning beauty. The bus finally came to a halt in front of a small board which read Yusuf Meherally Center'. A collective sound of disgust ran up in the crowd when we saw the dorm where we had to stay for two days. It was a small hut like structure which looked like some reminiscence from the 70s! It took some time for this vague reality to finally settle in.
Out first face-to-face exposure with the Bharat in India was when we visited a school in Tara Village where we got to play and interact with the vibrant rural kids. Reality check, that's what the whole experience was! We actually got to witness this clear thick line of the Bharat-India divide. The kids were very friendly and before we knew, we were all talking, laughing, dancing and sharing our dreams. "Jab bada hoga na me, Bambai jaakar kam karunga!" this seemed to be their only desire.
From our sophisticated lives in concrete jungles to the wild lives of these tribal in Tara and Koralwadi villages, the short bus ride of 2 hours had already alienated us in our own motherland. It wasn't just this ambience but also the mentality of this people which made us museumize' them whilst they museumized' us! For Pushpa, a 15 year old teenager from Tara village who was married to a 17 year old guy from the same village, it was her "good fortune" to have got married at such an early age and that too before her any of her friends! "Bhagwan ne mujhe khush naseeb banaya hai!" she said. Mayur, a 13 year old school going boy who aspired to become an engineer, a dancer and an actor knew that in the end he was going to be a potter like his dad, "Par bacha hai khwaab to dekhega hi na", argued his 15 year old brother. Kaveri, a 19 year old mother from the tiny hamlet of Koralwadi didn't even have an idea of what the city life is like. "TV me dekha hai Bambai. Aur mere pati jaate hai har mahin vyapaar ke liye to wo bhi batate hai. Aap reporter ho?" she asked, her eyes brimming with curiosity. For someone who had lost her childhood at such an early age, it was unimaginable for her that we were still students!
Our adrenaline-filled wild trek was their daily and only route to the city. What for us was a backward and primitive' hamlet was their reality and life. This is probably why they kept throwing blank expressions on hearing the excited "oooohhs" of the girls and the "click click" of the cameras as we spotted a goat kid suckling the milk from the mother goat.
The divide is too obvious to ignore for all those who bother to venture into these places and explore the world first-hand. It definitely offers a broader perspective than what we see in the photographs and articles. These places, though just 17 km away from Mumbai is miles and miles away from the progress the cities have witnessed. With the influence of technology the distance is virtually shortening. But isn't it the reality which matters more? And somehow as all of this dawned upon me, I felt claustrophobic standing there under the open skies and wrapped between the lush greenery.
A I stood there William Henry Davies famous lines echoed in my head,
"What is this life if full of care
We have no time to stand and stare?"
and I kept thinking, "Oh yes I have the time to stand and stare, but please someone show me, where is the care?" Parasols - A Must Have Item For Summer Weddings What Makes Global Knives So Popular For The Expert And Keen Amateur Alike? Excellent Dating Tips For Women To Make The Guy Ask For A Next Date Unveil the secrets of Weight Loss How to Make Money Online With Forex Trading Advantages and Disadvantages of Online Learning The Leads Of Hemorroids During Pregnancy The Superb Honeymooners Tips To Taking The Fun-filled Trip In Veracruz Best Tips For An Easy And Fun Family Picnic Flags Of The Past - Bonnie Blue Resistance Training For Women Make Or Mar Your Online Reputation Through Link Building Services Winning The Stakes Globally With Promising Translation Tools