The social life of the village revolved around “Somberi Katte”. Placed under the “Aaladha Maara” or “Banyan Tree” ” Somberi Katte meant “Lazy Bench”. The go to place for everyone in village , it bustled with activities from sunrise to sunset. Gossips, politics, discussions, children playing around were the central theme around the katte. The main discussion every summer was about monsoon. Come June and people prayed for heavens to fall on earth. The village was blessed and droughts were far and few. The canals were well built , land irrigated, making it lush green. Somberi Katte was way ahead of 24/7 news since it was the first to break the news in the village.
The go to place had a go to man . He livid on the somberi katte. His age was unknown and had grown old people forgot his name. The debate was who was older the village or the old man. Was he beggar , gypsy, or soothsayer. None of the above , his land was adjacent to the somberi katte . He had spent his life on it . He knew anything and everything . Want to know the time , will it rain , how the village name was derived , how humans evolved, psychology of animals, who was with whom, why were they with them , what were they doing with each other . He would answer the above with ease. Disputes were solved there . Gossips turned into discussions and discussions into fistfights thereby entertaining people around . The katte was lively having no dull moment . The fallow land would host the annual fair turning the village bright and colour full . Life in the village was in tandem with nature and was green and happy with no major worries. On a sunny day an young boy was questioning the old man , he didn’t respond. Soon people started to gather around and got into animated discussion.
KNOCK KNOCK ….. KNOCK KNOCK
BEEP ……BEEP…..BEEP
A doctor entered the room to check the patient. A man entangled in hundreds of wires was on the bed . His vitals were in danger . He regained his composure and saw through the window . Till the horizon it was just concrete jungle. He looked for the “Aaladha Maara” . Alas it was where the hospital stood . As a young boy he had seen his grandfather pass away peacefully on the somberi katte. He was on his way in a kaate or bed but an expensive one and his was not going to be a peaceful one . Everything was polluted around him the whole lush green village had disappeared .He too had to pay price to the hospital before dying. It was the price to be paid for unsustainable development and urbanisation . But was it worth it.
Humans have evolved over a period of time. From being food gatherers then adopting agricultural practices to embracing industrialisation thereby becoming urbanised . There in nothing wrong about becoming urbanised . But we have developed and become urbanised in a unsustainable way. Climate change is evident and our future is at stake . When the security of human life is doubtful then we definitely need to reorient the way we live . Everything comes at a cost . But is the cost justified. Definitely not if its by mortgaging the future generation’s lives .
” We have not inherited the earth from our forefathers , we have borrowed it from our children “
-LESTER R. BROWN