Polyphonic Community.

Two days back I met one of my friends and had a casual talk regarding their family and all. Meanwhile we also discussed about the house and its renovation. My friend said, “one of the problems of today’s buildings are no privacy at all, anybody can enter anywhere at any time. If we open the front door the visitor may reach till kitchen without any hindrance”. Today when we plan to construct a building, our discussion starts with the privacy. Each person demands “separate” rooms and other facilities. There is a shift in the idea of privacy. Earlier there was a freedom or space to interfere each other in their personal or public matters. But now the things changed. Nobody has the right to interfere in the matters of other persons even in the case of children.

Boundary Wall is a symbol of our tendency to avoid others from our ‘personal’ matters. When I was a small boy the concept of boundary wall was not an essential thing, but today it is an essential thing. Neighbors usually have conversation from house to house. Some times friends or relatives had the freedom to enter in to the house without any kinds of formalities. They come and talk and share our food and even had the freedom to interfere in our family matters. Even neighbors, relatives, family friends had the space to get involved in our family matters with good intention and respect.

Can you give me some sugar please? Our Ammachi’s sister has come Sometimes guests will come without prior notice or phone call (once phone was a luxury item) and they will stay one or more days with us. It will be a testing time for those who are in the kitchen. Because, at that time we never used to store provisions or food items like we do today. May be coffee powder, tea powder or sugar will not be there. Then children will be sent to neighbor houses to borrow the things we need. It was a common practice and we never felt bad to do that. They also come to our home when they need some other things. Some times I felt that in the village we had a mutual understanding in owning and using many things like furniture, weapons, plates etc.

“Children go and collect the benches and chairs from our neighbors”. In those days marriage receptions were held in our home and the neighbors take initiative to make all necessary arrangements. We children were enthusiastic in collecting chairs, benches, tables from the neighborhood. We children get involved in cleaning the furniture and plantain leaf and in many other things and it was a celebration. Privacy was a not an issue that time. Villagers used to share everything including their pains, agonies, joy, achievement etc (No matter our neighbors believe in Islam, Hinduism, Christian) I really experienced the polyphonic community living in my village. Everybody knows each other by name and they had the freedom to correct, encourage and intervene each other.

But where do we stand now?

Do we like a community oriented life which is interconnected and inter-dependent?

We became more individualistic where there is no space for the members of the community, isn’t it?

Do we like a homogenous community or a polyphonic community?

Polyphonic existence will help us to imagine God, Creation and our fellow beings differently.