A Bengaluru entrepreneur recently traded the city's chaos for a 24-hour journey to a small village in Northeast India. Navigating four modes of transport, he found a community where neighbours share meals and every home has a private pond. His viral story highlights the stark contrast between the tech hub and rural life.
“I’m working from a small village in north east India this week. Place took me 4 modes of transport and 24 hours to get to,” Bengaluru entrepreneur Saumya Saxena wrote.
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He talked about how familiar people are with each other, adding that he even got invited to people’s houses for tea or coffee when he stepped out.
“Everyone knows everyone here. To a degree that you can step out and everyone will invite you to their house for tea/black coffee because they know you’re someone’s guest.”
Talking about how people live, he continued, “All the houses here have their own private ponds. Fishing is a thing. Growing your own veggies is a thing. People are cooking together today for some festival. Men are cutting vegetables. Women are cooking. People take turns to serve food while others eat.”
Saxena, while explaining the social life of the place, continued, “Saw a snake casually chilling by a pond. Nobody budged. This place is like the Australia of India. Messi is really popular here. I’ve met a kid named Messi. Someone from the village paid 10 lakh for a selfie with Messi when he came to Kolkata. Rock music has its own fan base in the village children. Arctic monkeys is really popular. So is Stranger Things.”
The entrepreneur recalled that as he worked on his laptop, the locals asked him if this was what he would spend all his time doing. “The most interesting day one I’ve had at anyplace in a while.”
How did social media react?
An individual posted, “The internet is allowing humans to finally decentralise again after centuries of centralisation around industrial towns, commercial centres. A true privilege to be able to work from anywhere, anytime.”
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Another added, “Nice. That’s literally the life I fantasise about. I’ve been growing some vegetables at this place I’m renting now, and part of the reason I’m doing it is to practice skills for when I have more land and do it full time.”
A third commented, “Chill vibes only! NE is so good tbh! Even the treks and hikes are much more structured.” A fourth wrote, “More pics please.”