I have absolutely no grudge for cities. In fact, I love them having grown up in one, but I would love to experience living in a village. Here are the seven reasons why living in a village can be better than living in a city:

1. Pollution

With the rise of population in cities, one thing that definitely follows the same trend is pollution. While there are a few cities in the world which strictly regulate their air and water pollution, the truth is, not every city is Zurich or Melbourne. My life of 18 years, living in the busiest place of my city has gifted me two things—a habit of dusting my room every next hour and the most loath-able, grainy, non-pimple free skin. Of course, pimples have a lot to do with pollution. What do you think blocks skin pores and makes it unbreathable? I remember my days spent at my father's village during vacations. Apart from the glowing sweat-free skin that I get to enjoy, there’s a different energy in the air that stirs you up. When you breath it, you feel how fresh the air is though your nose. It feel that we do not need air conditioners anymore because it is time to replace them with air purifiers or maybe keep them both at the same time.

2. Noise

My city honks so bad that my ears, by default, have assumed noise to be peaceful. I do not wake up to the crowing of a rooster but to the horns of cars. When inside a car, I have a hard time listening to the radio unless I shut all the windows and suffocate myself (I am kind of a claustrophobic). In a city there’s no point trying to listen because you always hear.

3. Landscapes

Of course, tall buildings of glass and steel, for some, create an image of ultra modern architecture that relates to the richness of a city. But the sky looks better in the background of a landscape. Green compliments blue so perfectly in the natural landscapes hard to find in the dusty grey horizon of a city.

4. Food

You may not find Starbucks in a village but you’ll definitely find the best coconut water to quench your thirst and provide you nutrition at the same time. In cities you may find the best food for your taste buds but you may have to compromise on nutrition unless you go for a super healthy, organic or grass fed vegan diet. In villages every produce is fresh, less processed and healthy. You’ll find food that will serve its purpose.

5. Health

With clean air to breath, plenty of open space to walk and jog around, healthy food to eat, you can expect fewer diseases and stronger health. My great grandfather who lived his whole life in a village died at 95. He was never dependent on medicines and not even supplements. My parents are only in their 40's and I always see them gobbling down pills like food.

6. Social Connections

Life in a village is all about living together. I remember how my childhood was spent with cousins, aunts and uncles cooking big feasts sitting by the river in our village. Now, the only big feasts I enjoy are in posh restaurants where we click amazing selfies but seldom make lasting memories. Many of my cousins travelled to live in cities with their families just like ours and now we can hardly make time to talk over phone. Seeing each other happens only after years and when we do meet we cannot stop taking about our days in the village; there’s hardly anybody who share’s his experience in cities.

7. Pace of life

In a city, life does not necessarily start early, but office life does. In a village, life starts early, indeed. The first thing my grandfather used to do in his village was to walk to the vegetable market at six in the morning. The first thing I do in the morning is see what time it is on my mobile phone. (I mostly see 8 AM apart from my school days when Dad used to force me out of bed). Surprisingly, when in my Dad’s village I voluntarily used to accompany Dodo (I used to call my Grandfather Dodo) to the market (at 6 AM, which I still wonder about). In a village, somehow you feel as if time slows down but there’s still a pace that you can follow and moments that you can actually feel being present in. In a city, everything and everyone works in a hurry. And on those days you have off, you actually wonder why you have it. In a village, even a day off does not bore you, may be you can go picking fruits or planting herbs, milking cows or just walk the untamed road of a nearby forest and feel excited being lost.

Needless to say, that the picture of a village in India and many other countries relates to poverty and a low standard of living. But just like every city is not the worst, every village is not poor. The richness of life in a village like Provence in France is difficult to find even in a place like New York City. So, on your next vacation, plan a village trip and explore. You may not have to necessarily live in one or may be you can choose to stay longer. You never know what the mind likes and the heart loves.