Mitti ki surahi

In one of my travels there was a mitti ki surahi at the place we stayed. It had been a long time since I had tasted water from one.

I had it and felt so refreshed with the adequately cooled water. Not like the sharp cold water of a refrigerator. It was softer and more comforting.

My thoughts instantly drifted to my nani's stories. She always used to talk about village life. My thoughts started drifting to her stories and to what she used to talk about. How often do we think about the life people led with fewer modern resources. Why is the modern lifestyle so glorified?

I mean people in older generations living in villages didn't have access to electricity or conveniences like refrigerators and gas stoves. But food was still cooked. In a hearth of course. With fresh ingredients brought straight from the farm. In summers you could still have cool water from the clay pots. In lack of electricity lanterns lit the evening hours. They used to have an early dinner, sleep as soon as darkness fell and wake up at dawn. The perfect sunrise to sunset way of living. How often do we appreciate the niceness in it. How often?

I am not glorifying rural life either. Every way of living comes with its own challenges and comforts. I only mean that both deserve appreciation. Progress has given us much, but perhaps there is also something worth admiring in the simplicity and resourcefulness of the lives that came before us.