Namaskaram or Hello? Appa or Dad? Old or new? - I am no American - Born Confused Desi(ABCD), but an ordinary person who now thinks twice before speaking as I no longer hail from a tiny village called Varapuzha in the suburbs of Kerala but from the very same town which is in the throes of modernization.Though many exalt modernization, I have begun to dislike it as it is making the familiar seem unfamiliar. Gone are the days when I knew my hometown like the palm of my hand; now I feel I'm an alien in my own land.
Varapuzha, in the bygone years, was associated with many sights which can now probably be relived only in the images on my computer. Ferry rides around the island of Varapuzha were definitely the USP of my childhood; but now they are nearly obsolete. The bridges constructed to facilitate transport ate into the livelihood of the ferry companies so much that many have closed shop. It would be surprising to find people walking to their nearest destination as they rather prefer burning fuel. Men are no longer content with a bike or a car and luxury cars zipping by on the narrow roads have become a common sight.
Kaakan uncle who sold me mixture for Rs.5 everyday doesn't own a grocery store now thanks to all the super-markets springing up at every corner. He succumbed to the competition. Mariamma chetathi, who is 85 years old, no longer wears the traditional "chatta"and "mundu" as her children think it is a disgrace. Little Ruben plays by himself as all the other children are glued to their video games' set. The Matthews stay alone as their children and grand-children detest the place and prefer the pace of city life. Gardens are unkempt,weeds are overgrown and there is no one to pluck coconuts as the men who did such menial jobs have now shifted to more lucrative options or demand exorbitant wages. Many classrooms in the local school remain closed for lack of students and teachers as they all prefer schools in the city. Generations of families have moved because they were attracted to the concept of a "better" life in the ciity like fireflies to light.
Modernization or Urbanization is the order of the day and we cannot turn a blind eye to all the benefits that it has brought in. Levels of education have improved, there are better public amenities available, there are better employment opportunities yet at the same time, it is modernization that has introduced Chivas Regal(brand of alcohol), marijuana and the like and initiated the disgraceful race to be better than the rest. All that leaves us pondering as to where we are headed.
Modernization - for the better or for worse? - I do not have a concrete answer to that and there maybe innumerable opinions. At the end of the day, all of us want to belong to a developed nation and want to be well-placed in life and we may wonder, if moderization is the key to that dream, then why not?. The end need not always justify the means; it is wise to be certain that modernization does not leave us facing a new dilemma - IDENTITIY OR (H)IDENTITY?
The same mobile phone is used for both communication and sexual harassment. The same atomic energy is used for nuclear weapons and power generation. The power to choose is man's :-)
ReplyDeleteThere is 2 sides to every coin, your version is slanted mostly towards the bad side of modernization. I beg to defer.
ReplyDeleteOne example is what your grandfather told me; "These days no one dies of heart attack in Varapuzha, because of propximity to good hospitals and good medicine". Ofcourse the bridge, roads, availabilty of cars all help to get the patient to the hospital as fast as possible. While cell phones, make sure you are accessible anywhere in the world, any time of the day, it can be annoying at times.
I agree as part of modernization, you loose the human touch. People are very busy and have no time to chat. Every one is on the move, no time to stop and say hello.
While this is true while your are working, we have more time when we retire. I chat with many of classmates, who are also retired, almost every day, using internet. We all find it very convenient and affordable to keep in touch. As the AT&T commercial says " reach out and touch some one".
It is hard to say which is better. Each one of us can select the best of both.
very sweet place......
ReplyDeletei like it, good perspective.
ReplyDeleteModernization is always with the aim of progress and better life. In the end, each individual has to accept, welcome, and integrate it in his life. It does not mean that we leave the old habits behind. Good things always remains new and we could integrate and make life more beautiful. Progerss is always a matter of going forward to make things better. In the end, as good and bad always coexist, each one has to make a choice. I would say "choose to love."
ReplyDeleteThough I have never been to your place, I totally agree with you. This seen in a lot of places these days. In one way we should be proud but then yes, it has its negatives too. For example we have a lot of people who would love to work in a factory, but less people want to work in the field. But if there is no one to take care of production of raw materials.There is no point in the former.
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ReplyDeletehey a very apt topic.this is happening in every other place now a days.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. However,when you say "it is modernization that has introduced Chivas Regal(brand of alcohol), marijuana and the like and initiated the disgraceful race to be better than the rest" do you really thing modernization is the culprit? Couldnt it be globalization, and the availability of such substances. Even without 'modernization', people in some of the most remote parts of India have found ways of coming up with intoxicating substances that have similar effects on them.
ReplyDeleteUncle Paul,
ReplyDeleteI do not deny the developments Varapuzha has seen over the past few years but I can't help reminiscing about the Varapuzha I knew as a child..Though the move towards becoming a town in itself is commendable,it is saddening that the old and the new do not completely blend together and it threatens to change the face of the place you call home..
At the same time,the developments made are those that we could not have done without in the present world but I do hope that it does not present an entirely new Varapuzha to the coming generations!!
you know rose after reading you blog im just starting to imagine the changes that have taken place back in my place... n trust me m thoroughly confused as to how modernisation has affected life so much... n i have no anwer either... is it better or for the worse... hey nice one man.. i can some how relate wid the topic..
ReplyDeletewell 2 start of with im always wid modernization...be it for the better or worse.....though i dont no much about verapuzha or wateva....i still think modernization makes david a goliath......and being stronger aint wrong....but provided its goin 2 xterminate mother nature..its not worth the buy...and its very subjective 2 say whether its for the better or worse.....for me ..i would like 2 quote from spiderman...."from great power comes great responsibility"..and the rest is left 2 us
ReplyDeleteNice... A very perspective work...
ReplyDeletethe perspective that you have brought into limelight is in support of traditional ways and means...but personally i think every place and the people in it have the right to bring out their true potentialities...may it be through modernity or urbanization...traditions maintain the true essence of a place...but modernity is what brings this essence into the open....its personal choices that we have to make hat in the end decides whether its all for the better or for the worse....i think peoplecan choose to make their lives better by staying static in the place of origin or by moving away..its a pity that people take modern notions to their heart that thy try to change their near n dear ones...betterment of ones life should not be at the cost of others....
ReplyDeletethe videos and pictures gives a peek into the beautiful Varapuzha...
Hey Rose!!! Your article really makes me think of my hometown Shimoga.. Only recently has it started looking modernized and all that and what i think is that when you look at a small place developing and becoming modern, you are actually kind of happy about it and also sad because the place loses that charm it had in it's old self and also that it's going to get the benefits out of the change...
ReplyDeleteThings will come n things will go. There's no point in sticking to the old. Else we'd have been still in jungle rather than in the concrete jungle. We ought to change with times tho we miss the beauty that will end up in images. Yet, the core is humanity as Paul rightly pointed out. In this time of plastic love, i wish n pray that at least some who has it nurture it.
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