Reading through the year end content in newspapers, magazines, internet etc highlighting the events of the year, people who made news this year and the upcoming trends, one thing that everyone highlighted was how the people from small towns are making news. Incidentally I was listening to the Indian Idol on radio city this evening and for one of the contestants, the Abhijit Sawant made a comment ‘ You sang so well, no one can imagine a girl coming from such a small place can sing so well, even a person from Bombay may not have sung so well’. Well, so much for the Indian tag attached to his name, he does not think there are people existing outside Mumbai.
Small towns have always been there and so has been the talent there. They had prosperity, they had their success stories, their triumphs, their niche characteristics. But this year suddenly the media, the media which belongs to the metros woke up to them. Internet and mobile networks enabled them to get connected to the small towns, and suddenly they came to know of existence outside the cities they live in.
Talking about success stories is fine, but why make it sound as if these success stories are bigger or have more struggle behind them just because the people behind it are from so called ‘small towns’. It is like talking about people succeeding inspite of their disabilities. Living in small towns is no way less than living in a big city, instead it may be better in many respects, like having more time to oneself, less complicated lives. If you look at the smaller cities in India, they have everything that you need, without pressurizing you with what you do not need. I have grown up and lived in all kinds of places, small isolated places, you can call them rural areas, small towns, big cities, and I strongly believe there is much more that a big city takes away from you than it offers. But having said that one thing that I like about living in a big city is the much needed anonymity that it provides you at times.
Well said Anuradha. Stumbled here thru some links. Need to make regular stops here going forward. Being a B'lore resident, would naturally be interested in a blog by 'nother Bangalorean.
ReplyDeleteFew points I would like to reinforce:
1. Again as it is the wont of media to sensationalise things, nothing new about the so-called emergence of small towns. They existed before and will continue to do so.
2. Indian Idols, kalkaarz etc. are just clowns and they do/say whatever their TRP-conscious masters want them to do/say. Am not sure how coming from mumbai (or anywhere else for that matter) makes one a better singer as one of these clown seems to indicate.
3. There definitely are some significant disadvantages if you don't come from a big city, particularly in higher education. For example, even though info is now widely available thru internet, one still has to travel to the cities if one has to take entrance exams or something like that. And if you are appearing for multiple exams (as happens with MBA tests), one should set aside a neat sum just for these "business" visits. May be minor points, but worth remembering :-)
right said anuradha, & now see, its Nagpur which had fastest growth in some last couple of years. small towns people have the thing with them , & with things blowing up with economy & technology, we will see some more examples for it.
ReplyDeleterahul mehrotra
hi, anuradha !
ReplyDeleteI came through a brand equity article which said that most of the creative advertising guys originated from small towns. I always feel that small towns can showcase their talent in much better way because they are less resistant to change . It may seem unconvincing but its true , I have seen that a Delhite finds hard to adjust in Mumbai , but a lad from say a small town in UP can adjust anywhere in India . This gives him a much more exposure . Hope I dont sound bias towards small town , may be I am sounding myopic , but seems a point to ponder upon.
Amit, thats an interesting point that you have made...people coming from smaller places are so adjusting, adapting and non-demanding and when people move from one metro to another they just end up comparing the metros and their vision is so much limited to few big cities.
ReplyDelete-Anu