Durga M Sengupta
India, having an
agro-based economy, depends the most on its villages for growth. The gaonalways
has that distinct nostalgic charm that Indians alone can understand. Sarson
ke khet, tea plantations, mud houses, clean air, charpaai, mitti,
star-lit sky; these are just some of the happy things that we associate with
life in an Indian village.
But unfortunately, that
feeling is slowly waning. Poverty, lack of education, lack of sanitation, etc
are the first associations that the media paints about Indian
villages for our benefit.
Here's a little fact: Gaons
aren't a bad place to live. In fact, some of them are way better than any
metro. And these exemplary examples prove just that.
1. Mawlynnong - Asia's cleanest
village
Mawlynnong, a small village
in Meghalaya, was awarded the prestigious tag of 'Cleanest Village in Asia' in
2003 by Discover India Magazine. Located at about 90 kms from Shillong, the
village offers a sky walk for you to take in the beauty as you explore it.
According to visitors, you cannot find a single cigarette butt/plastic bag
lying around there.
2. Punsari
- The village with WiFi, CCTVs, AC classrooms and more
Punsari, located in
Gujarat, puts most metros to shame. Funded by the Indian government and the
village's own funding model, Punsari is no NRI-blessed zone. The village also
boasts of a mini-bus commute system and various other facilities. Believe it.
3. Hiware Bazar - The village of 60
millionaires
Hiware Bazar, located in
the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, has transformed from being a place
fraught with issues to being possibly the richest village in India. The sole
reason for this fairy-tale change is one man called Popatrao Pawar. He banned
all addictive substances to minimize expense and encouraged the villagers to
invest in rain-water harvesting, milch cattle, etc.
There are a record 60
millionaires in the village and barely any poor. From 168 Below Poverty Line
families in 1995, Hiware Bazar now has just three. The villagers continue to
strive to see a day when not one person is poor.
4. Dharnai - First fully solar-powered
village
Dharnai, a village in
Bihar, beat 30 years of darkness by developing its own solar-powered
system for electricity. With the aid of Greenpeace, Dharnai declared
itself an enery-independent village in July. Students no long need to limit
their studies to the day time, women no longer limit themselves to stepping out
in the day in this village of 2400 residents. Now if only cities could do the
same, right?
5. Chappar - A village that distributes
sweets when a girl is born
Chappar village in Haryana
has a woman Sarpanch. But Neelam is no ordinary Sarpanch. She made it her
life's mission to change the attitude of the villagers towards women, and
she succeeded. Not only do the women of the village not wear the ghunghat anymore,
but despite Haryana being the state with the lowest girls ratio (an abysmal
877) in this village every newborn, regardless of his/her sex, is welcomed
into the world with sweets and festivities.
6. Kokrebellur - A village that really
loves its birds
Kokrebellur, a small
village in Karnataka, believes in the conservation of nature. While most other
villages consider birds a nuisance because they harm crops, Kokrebellur boasts
of rare species of birds that fly around and don't even mind humans much. The
villagers treat their winged compatriots as family and have even created an
area for wounded birds to rest and heal. Wonderful, isn't it?
7. Ballia - The village that beat arsenic
poisoning with an indigenous method
Ballia village of Uttar
Pradesh had an itchy problem to deal with. The water that the villagers
were drinking contained arsenic, which causes serious skin problems and even
physical deformation. What is arsenic, you ask? A harmless element on its own,
but when combined with oxygen or water, it turns toxic.
Ironically, the village
faced the problem after the government introduced many hand-pumps in the area
for easy water access. The level at which the hand-pumps were dug led to
excessive interaction between arsenic and water. When the villagers realised
what had happened, instead of waiting for the government to act on it, they
(physically) fixed their old wells and went back to an older, safer time. The
best part? Even 95-year-old Dhanikram Verma joined in.
8. Pothanikkad - The village with
a 100% literacy rate
Unsurprisingly in Kerala,
Pothanikkad village was the first in the country to achieve a 100% literacy
rate. Not only does the village boast of city-standard high-schools, but it
also has primary schools and private schools. Guess the number of
people the village has educated? Well, according to the 2001 census there
are 17563 residents living in the village. The best part is that it answers the question.
9. Bekkinakeri - The village that rid
itself of open defecation by 'greeting' lota-bearers
Bekkinakeri village in
Karnataka has redefined the point of wishing someone a 'Good morning'.
Frustrated with the practice of open defecation, the village council attempted
to curb it by requesting people to not do so. When that didn't work, they
stationed themselves early morning near 'popular' defecation sites and wished
every perpetrator a very good morning. The trick worked! Too embarrassed to go
on with their business, the openly defecating population has now stopped the
practice completely.
10. Shani Shingnapur - A village so safe
that people don't need doors
Shani Shingnapur, located
in Maharashtra, is a village that defies every newspaper report you have ever
read. Touted as the safest village in India, this place is known for its lack
of doors to houses. Not just that, there is no police station in the village.
And no, we are not making this up.
By the way, Shani
Shingnapur has 'broken' another interesting record. The village has
the country's first lockless bank branch (UCO bank) now.
Time to pack your bags for that cross-country
village trip?
If you know about more such villages, and/or have
visited them, please do write in with photographs if possible.
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