Women play a vital role in both domestic and agricultural work, managing households and assisting with farm duties.  Photographs by Amar Talwar/CSE
Lifestyle

Sense of community has been integral to Uttarakhand's rural life — but migration is knitting a new social fabric

With the advent of urbanisation in the hills, there's a perceptible change in the social nuances

DTE Staff

Rural life in Uttarakhand is deeply connected to nature, simplicity and a deep sense of community. The state, situated in the foothills of the Himalayas, offers a lifestyle quite different from urban areas.

Villages often function as tight-knit units, with people relying on each other for support in farming, festivals, and day-to-day activities.

A significant number of young people migrate to urban areas for better job prospects, which has led to a decline in rural populations. This has caused abandoned farmlands and difficulties in maintaining traditional agricultural practices.

In some remote villages, access to basic services like healthcare, education, and transport can be limited.

While urbanisation is slowly reaching rural areas, many villages still lack proper roads, electricity and amenities. However, with the advent of urbanisation in the hills, there's a perceptible change in the social nuances.

The coming generations are more aspirational and individualism is on the rise.

People wake up early and are involved in tasks like milking cows, feeding animals, cleaning the house, and working on the fields.