Contrasts between life in the city and in the country
Home life
The country
In the country live people with very different houses. The miserable houses have only one or two rooms. Some are made of planks or palm leaves. One of the best houses has two floors.
Downstairs:
- a large dining-room and a kitchen
- a lounge with two bedrooms
Upstairs:
- another two bedrooms
The house has electricity and running water and they can use bottled gas for cooking. They have a telephone and there's a colour television,too. They also have a garden.
Every family has to fetch the water from a big well which is in the centre of he village. But most of the houses have electricity.
The City
There`s a very big difference between the cities and the villages because in the city there are only good houses. The streets are very clean and wide. The houses are big and have new and expensive furniture. Every house is protected by high walls and one guard at the gate. Every family has two or three servants and a driver for their car.
People who are neither rich nor poor live in houses with two floors and six rooms. They have:
- comfortable furniture
- new music system
- video-recorder
- colour television
India at Work
75% of Indias population live in the country. So it's not surprising that farming is the most important job in India. Here's an overview of the most important jobs:
Farming:64%
Industry:16%
Services:20%
The Country
In the country the wealthier people have their own land where they plant many rubber trees. Every morning the landowners collect the running latex. At home they mix it with water and acid, then it turns into solid rubber overnight. They sell it to big factories to get money. Sometimes they grow vegetables or fruits to sell them in a weekly market.
The City
In the city are factories which manufacture:
- tools for machines
- telephones
- radios
- clothes
- shoes
- watches
- computers
There are many firms which write computer programs. But there are also people with traditional jobs. Usually the whole family works there. The parents teach their children what to do.
Going to school
The country
In India the children have to go too school between the age of six and fourteen. In the country are not many schools but too many children who go there. But not all the pupils complete their education. The school is visited by Roman Catholics but alsochildren from other religions are welcome there. The pupils are from the surrounding villages. Sometimes they have to walk up to 5 km. But the younger ones are brought on the family motorbike or with bicycles.
The classrooms have no electricity and the walls are bare. There are only a few posters or drawings. The classes are very big with often thirty-five children in one room. Only women are teachers. The children learn English, Maths, Geography and History.
The City
Most of the children who live in a city can go to one of the best private schools. And there are the best teachers. That's why the parents have to pay fees. The government schools are free, but they do not provide a good education as the private schools. So the teachers aren`t qualified. But poor families have no choice: if they don`t go to a government school they won`t get any education. Classes start at 9 am and last until 1 pm, with a short break mid-morning. The school continues after lunch for the older pupils.