A Million Worlds in One

A world apart.

We all have very different personalities and react to situations in a variety of ways. These differences make us lead distinct lives— which feels like worlds apart. It is not distance but the habitual or mental differences that create barriers and make one society foreign to the other. Yet, these differences are what makes individuals unique and our ecosystem whole. Here, we have compiled a few of the unique lifestyles of different people.

 

ECO-HOUSING

Amidst the concrete structures and pollution, are those who have taken the responsibility and made choices to reduce their carbon footprint and give nature the space to heal itself.

One such choice is sustainable homes or eco-homes. With an increase in environmental awareness, this is a concept gaining popularity in theory. Sustainable homes encompass segregation of the waste and are a conscious alternative of establishing a roof. Contrary to the popular luxurious housing styles in urban areas, these serve only to the basic of the residents.

Real green structures consist of various aspects from the building material to the optimum use of renewable resources that is efficient and synchronises with the surrounding environment.

In recent years, many campaigns have been initiated to make the green-establishments more attractive to prospective consumers. There is a growing demand for eco-friendly houses from a large population of more environmentally-aware house-buyers.

This resulting demand for eco-structures is also opening up new avenues in architectural innovations.

An exemplary example of an eco-lifestyle is the Kanavi family’s residing in Bangalore. They have built a remarkable housing complex—Hombelaku—made of handmade mud blocks with facilities of organic vegetable farms, rainwater harvesting units, skylights that maximise the reception of sunlight. They also have ethnic Warli art to compliment the aesthetic, which is built at a 15% reduction in cost as compared to standard construction.

Another example of sustainable structures in urban sites is Kachra Mane (trans. Trash Home) of G V Dasarathi who redefined the idiom ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’. 

A firm believer of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rethink’, he has made his house from the debris of demolished constructions and second-hand materials. The striking features of Dasarathi’s residence are that 80% of the fittings in the house is made of recycled wood with solar power and rainwater harvesting units as the dominant energy and water sources. As per Dasarathi, the house took seven months to built and was half times cheaper than conventional homes.

With the relentless use of resources which are getting scarce with each passing day, some residents choose to live on a level that harmonises with the environment. It’s in the same vicinity as the people who have adopted the conventional styles of living, that though benefits the society but harms nature in more ways than one.

TRIBAL LIFESTYLE

As stated by David Mandelbaum, “in tribal life, the important links for the whole society are based on kinship. They possess a morality, religion and world view of their own, corresponding to their social relations”. In India, tribal communities are collectively known as Adivasis. According to the 2011 Census, Adivasis make up 8.6% per cent of the country’s population. These societies are predominant in states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Jharkhand.

Education in every community is essential though they may be of different structures. Learning various traditional practices from heritage to survival is the primary curriculum in tribal culture. When a child enters adulthood, he is self-aware of his environment. He has confidence in carrying himself, and he knows how to survive in the harshest conditions alone. He has the skills of hunting, fishing, cultivation, shepherding and rearing (depending on the area of the tribe). Thus, education within tribal regions is the integrated development of an individual. However, when these tribal communities are viewed as a part of the country, they are the least educated community. They find it a struggle to blend in with formal education systems. This form of education is a significant challenge for a student to sit in a place and learn to read and write the same book for a long time.  

As tribes are clustered majorly in forests, they faced a lack of certain necessary products like salt and iron. Many tribal members then traded with foreigners for such goods. Local Hindu artisans also sold cooking utensils. From the 1900s, tribes faced a gradual decrease in the areas they governed. The land was taken over by non-tribal members for the sake of transportation and communication. Smaller tribes are more sensitive to such ecological encroachments caused by modernisation. Given such inferiorities, it is also a challenge to them to fit into mainstream society.

On the other hand, the economy of other cities in the country is fast-moving. India is known for its developing market economy. From agriculture, manufacturing and industrial development to services, mining and construction, India has its citizens involved in various occupations.

With the process of globalisation, along with the fast spread of information technology and mass media in the 21st century, tribal people are gradually increasing their participation in a broader, more generalised culture. As participation and mobility reduce the degree of social cohesion of the tribe and tribal commitment of the individual, we may observe the fast-emerging process of ‘detribalization’. In an increasingly aware world that we live in, different lifestyles have pushed us a world apart. People have clashed over their opinions but have found it difficult to conclude which lifestyle is better.

 

GAMERS

From the 1970s, when video games first came out, to the 2020s, where they have blown up–video games have become a cultural force. They have evolved from Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros to Fortnite and League of Legends. The primary reason video games have blown up is due to live streaming, where gamers stream themselves playing the game in real-time. There are now video game tournaments that get huge viewership. Even teenagers participate and end up winning substantial cash prizes.

While it’s easy to think that these gamers are living the life– playing video games for a majority of the day at the comfort of their homes– this is far from reality. Uncommon discipline, perseverance, and sustained intensity are required because there are obstacles faced even in real life. Your parents wouldn’t respect your decision and fans wouldn’t understand if you fail. Moreover, without the financial support of committed sponsors, it is impossible to put in the time necessary to refine your skills to the highest level.

To people who play video games as a leisure activity, lifestyles tend to differ a lot. Video gamers have to take out at least 10 hours to practice and perfect their skills. Due to this, there’s barely any time left to work or study. The average age for a competitor is 25 years old since it is a young person’s game, because of which the person needs to consider how long they could realistically remain a viable competitor. 

 

The Earth is home to over 7.7 billion people. To imagine so many people living with the same ideologies is impossible. There are innumerous lifestyles that cohabitants have adapted to, over the years. With time, the lifestyle we follow has become our defining character. Adopting to the way of life we were born to, is entirely up to us. However, so many of us have moved on to adapt to newer habits. Though we may live in the same subcontinent, we live so unalike one another. 

 

—Written by Kaavya, Vaishnavi, and Swarnima for MTTN

—Edited by Alankriti for MTTN

—Featured Image by Sindhura

—Image Credits: Google Images

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