Page 58 - GOTIL (ENG) Sample

26 Glimpses of Traditional Indian Life

Bangladeshis would talk to us about different rice strains,
assuming that we fully understood. But we knew nothing
about varieties and qualities of rice or when they should
be planted, or about health and hygiene of cattle. Village
people might not be able to jive their way through the
rat race of a concrete jungle, but streetwise city slickers
have no idea how to relate to the goings-on of village life.

An Australian devotee traveling with me for a short time
in Bangladesh marveled at how I, a Westerner, was living
such an austere life — staying in villages with no proper
roads or electric supply, bathing at tube wells, and so on.
But I didn’t find it particularly austere. It’s no great feat to
bathe by simply walking over to a tube well, pumping water
into a bucket, and throwing it over oneself. And what’s
the difference between sleeping in a palatial building in
a big city or in a mud hut in a village? Millions of people
live like that, thinking nothing of it, so why can’t we also?
Even if there is some austerity, it’s fun. It’s actually a great
adventure for a young man to leave the stereotyped West
to wander and preach in distant lands.

Eco-friendly Life

The so-called austerity of village life is for the most part
a matter of perception. Lack of modern conveniences
is more than compensated for by absence of various
miseries that attend them. At least the air is safe to breathe.
Pollution is minimal and life is eco-friendly, although few
villagers are aware of such a concept.