Countryside Maturity

In old time village people were very simple and great hospitable. ‘Atithi devo bhav- the guest is god’ was their main ideology. I have seen Paritoshjee in my village. He was famous for the warm welcome to unknown visitors. Very few want to host the unknown. But, he was special. Everybody knew his generosity. His kindness was famous in the area. Shelter-less persons gathered at his door and stayed there as long as they wished. He heartily welcomed all the guests. In the mango season, passers-by were compellingly fed mangoes and they were forcibly offered to take some mangoes for their family members. What a grand welcome! This type of cordiality is seldom found to-day. The cheater may misuse this type of generosity but, this type of heavenly character is the rarest. I have heard from my own ears a bhajaar (the person of a famous family wanders hither and thither in search of food and attends every occasion of joint feast without invitation) abusing Paritoshjee. Paritoshjee had put a condition that after taking food at his home, no guest should again eat at another house. A comedian type person forcibly fed the bhajaar some rice and fish curry just after the feast he had eaten at paritoshjee door. The comedian called Paritoshjee and showed him bhajaar eating. Paritoshjee banned him to come to his door again. That was the reason to abuse. But, banning did not last long. It was impossible for so generous person like Paritoshjee to bear distance of bhajaar. He went to bhajaar himself and invited him honorably to take food. Now the situation is completely changed. The urban people have become more simple than the rural. When I go home, I become astounded to see the cunningness of the rural. The evils of cities have come in the villages. Village youths have become liquor and drug-edicts. They are lying beside the road and in village market in drunken state. They are busy in gambling and prostitution. They are unnecessarily abusing and fighting. Majority of youths have become notorious frauds. The old generosity has disappeared and cunningness has captured their lives. Some of them have gone to big cities and are involved in crimes. An urban fraud went to a remote village. He had kept the old view about the rural people that they are very meek. He sat on a tea-shop and ordered for a special tea. The shopkeeper demanded some money to purchase sugar, tea-leaf and milk. He gave him a hundred rupee note. The seller prepared tea and gave him. He took tea and asked for the balance amount. The seller did not return and began to fight. The seller was a wrestler. He tore his clothes and beat him black and blue. Seeing him helpless, he fled. He went to another village and sat on a food shop. He ordered for food. He ate, washed his hands, gave the seller a thousand rupee note, and asked him to return the rest amount. Seeing him unknown, the seller did not return the balance amount, instead gave him a hard blow. Again he fled and saved his life. The visitor was a notorious fraud of a town. But here the situation was quite reverse. He went to another village. He had some fake notes. He mixed them with some good notes and gave a shopkeeper for exchange. The shopkeeper saw the notes and understood the fake notes. He exchanged his all money and gave him double other fake notes. The visitor spoke some words but the seller dragged him on the ground and snatched all his possessions. The visitor ran away and caught his ears to go to village again.