India is changing…. MERA DESH BADAL RAHA hai... already changed a lot !!
India is changing…. MERA DESH BADAL RAHA hai... already changed a lot !!
Before I go forward, I request my dear readers to please
take this in a positive spirit and am sure that someone OR so many will tell me
alternatives to the issues I am discussing.
However, I am fully aware of them, but would like to put the facts … is
the sole purpose of this write up.
As you all know I am currently based in Karnataka and
staying in a place called Saidapur near Raichur. This is my home away from home for last 6
months. Last week travelled from Pune
with a big baggage as Navratri is approaching and we all follow fasting (change
of food you can say), then also perform some religious rituals to pray Goddess
Nav Durga in all her forms on the the 10 days.
I have written a big write up on how the Navratri festival is celebrated
in my family, if anyone is willing to read, can forward the same OR you can
refer it on my blog http://shapu2021.blogspot.com/ around 200+ articles are there on different
subjects.
Since I may not be able to travel to Pune during these 9
days my wife made sure that I get a good delicious food or SAATVIK AAHAR as
keep fasting. So a bag full of all ready
to cook items she has made for which she spent over a week and handed over with
all the labels and there conditions to be kept and cooked. I can’t thank enough her for all the efforts
she has put in even with my repeated requests not to bother so much, as
usual. This is not to praise her efforts but there is
a reference to it as why I had to get it along with me. In last 6 months I observed here in and
around you do not get anything that you really can do a fasting / change of
food. Being a small place you have no
option to get fresh fruit juices – though you get fruits – who will take
efforts of washing, cutting and converting them into juice. Thanks to my wife who made so Lazy. You do not have SABUDANA VADA stall or you don’t
get the KHICHADI even. I know both items are not healty OR good for human
consumption as it is a topic of debate. But you will surprised to note that you are
getting a Burger, Cheese Vada Paav, Pizza in all variants, Ice Creams,
Pastries, Cakes and all that – which is not part of our traditional food
habits, but it is available.
The place I am staying though is a small place it has big
markets and surrounding 40 villages are the customers to this market so all the
times the markets are full with customers right from vegetables, groceris,
automobile, machinery stores, bakeries, sanitary shops, hardware, marbles and
construction materials of all variants, small hotels etc. However, the migrants like
us have just started coming due to surrounding industrial development, they
still need to pull their sleeves and satisfy the needs of such migrants. This is where they work more and invest more.
The whole purpose I am writing this is and was surprised to
note is that during Navratri lot of us we perform some Homas etc. as a part of
ritual in Navratri. To do so we were
trying to get cow dunk cakes and you will not believe none of the places it was
available. For a small village not having this was hard to believe for me. I kept roaming the entire place and every
corner if I will get with a disappointment.
Then I have few boys working with me who are staying in nearby villages,
I was sure and confident that I would get it there – but to my surprise, I had
to explain it in all languages by drawing the shapes of it and they all said,
sir we don’t get it here. However, they
promised me to do it especially for me – which I denied, but still one fellow
made it me and they are drying in my room today. Then another lady working in another village,
I asked someone to call her and check and same story repeated. Then I believed.. MERA DESH BADAL RAHA HAI….
Then on my way back home I was getting all Maharashtra
villages and even my place which is a district headquarters where we were
getting this without any money or may be for a minimal charge. In villages on the way you will so many huts
painted and designed by cow dunk cakes, so many big walls and other places will
be full of this. Forget cow dunk cakes,
during Ganesh festival had to buy loads of pooja accessories for office and it
took us 3 days to gather all the items together – that too not matching with
each other in terms of size and shapes – thought Language was one problem, even
having a local friend with me it was hard to get the desired items. Which is not the case in cities where you get
all such items in a bundle and set.
Since I have had all such experiences, this time I carried
everything with me from home right from the Jyothi (vaat), cotton wicks for
lamps duly dipped in ghee to the entire FARAL items preparations. In fact wife was even asking that you carry
the cakes that we have at home, but I tried to avoid it… good otherwise how I
would have written this story. Last
night I was out to get some milk, pitambari etc. then saw a coconut water
stall, its been a long time I stopped by and had it and to my surprise it was
for Rs.50/- …. Mera dash bahut badal gaya hai….Is the economy moving in reverse
from cities to villages ? no cash, no change and you pay by Phone Pay, Gpay …. L … that is good as the
place has only 2 ATMs. So no complaints on digital transactions. You may not always
get an apple but lot many apple iPhone
users and its accessories easily available.
Villages have thrown their original attire and they are all
moving in a professional attire and a person like me wants to see them in their
original attire… I may be wrong or my expectation is wrong…. INDIA is changing.
When I walk in the morning to grab a cup of tea, I see 100s of people carrying
a 20 ltr. Jar to get the clean pure drinking water for their homes. Where I stay the area is full of schools,
100s of vehicles, schools buses, autos dumped and overloading the students, and
all of them are private schools. I did not see the government school so far nor
the students on the road for it, road side farms are converting to plotting…
dhabas, commercial bases and farmer is becoming a builder, developer with expensive
googles, branded vehicles and perfume leaving behind the Green India and Soil
fragrance behind……
Let me stop here….
Sharad Puranik - 250922
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