Tell me what is your neighbor's last child's name? You don't know. Nor do I. I mean I do not know about my neighbor's children's names. Nor do I know what they are studying. Nor do I know, where are my neighbor and his wife working. We the city dwellers live in cocoons. If anyone asks us, our standard reply is I don't have time for all these socializing.
But not so in our villages. In my ancestor village, every child calls other children of the village as anna (elder brother) and akka (elder sister). Every daughter in law is called as attige (sister in law).
If there is some function in one house, all the ladies of the village go to their house early in the morning. In fact they would have visited the house previous day to ask if there is any work to be done. They bring milk and butter milk with them for the function. They do most of the kitchen work like cutting vegetables, frying bondas, making laddoos. Then the banana leaves will be put by the boys and serving for all the guests will be done by ladies and men of the village. And after people have eaten, the leaves are removed and place cleaned for next meal by these people.
If the house need some big vessels for the function, they borrow them from neighbors. The food will be served on the court yards of their house and neighboring houses.
So much so that, many a times, even marriages, where hundreds of people attend, will be celebrated in their homes, not in marriage halls.
That is real community living.
But not so in our villages. In my ancestor village, every child calls other children of the village as anna (elder brother) and akka (elder sister). Every daughter in law is called as attige (sister in law).
If there is some function in one house, all the ladies of the village go to their house early in the morning. In fact they would have visited the house previous day to ask if there is any work to be done. They bring milk and butter milk with them for the function. They do most of the kitchen work like cutting vegetables, frying bondas, making laddoos. Then the banana leaves will be put by the boys and serving for all the guests will be done by ladies and men of the village. And after people have eaten, the leaves are removed and place cleaned for next meal by these people.
If the house need some big vessels for the function, they borrow them from neighbors. The food will be served on the court yards of their house and neighboring houses.
So much so that, many a times, even marriages, where hundreds of people attend, will be celebrated in their homes, not in marriage halls.
That is real community living.
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