Are our villages still homeless in the face of development?
This question does not arise only when we see a broken or abandoned house; it also emerges when we look at the condition of villages across India. Homes that were once filled with life, where children’s laughter echoed in the courtyards and evening gatherings took place in village squares, now often stand silent and deserted.
But the question remains: why is this happening? Have our villages truly become so fragile that the people living there are forced to leave their own homes? Or have villages somehow been left behind in the race for development?
We often hear that India is a “country of villages.” If that is true, then why are India’s villages still waiting for development? Why is the youth from villages still moving toward cities in search of better education, employment, and facilities? Why has the village farmer begun to see urban labor as more secure than working in his own fields?
Every year, governments make big claims about the development of villages. Schemes are introduced, announcements are made, posters are displayed, and speeches are delivered—but has the reality of villages changed as much as it is often claimed? If development had truly reached the villages, would we still find so many closed doors in rural homes? Would so many courtyards still appear deserted?
Today, many houses in villages seem to be waiting for their people to return. Their silent walls almost seem to ask, “Was our only fault that we were built in a village?”
Does development only mean tall buildings and shining roads in cities? Do the broken roads, incomplete schools, and limited employment opportunities in villages go unnoticed?
The biggest question is this: when villages are becoming empty, is it simply migration of people, or is it a silent failure of our development model? Because when people leave their villages, it is not only humans who become homeless—the homes themselves become homeless as well.
Perhaps we need to ask ourselves whether we truly want to develop our villages, or whether we will continue to call villages the “soul of India” only in speeches.
Because the day villages provide quality education, employment, and a dignified standard of living, no one will want to leave their home and disappear into the crowded cities. Perhaps then, the houses in our villages will no longer remain abandoned, and life, relationships, and hope will return to them once again.
