The city of stress

Avishek Ganguly

“seene mein jalan aankhon mein tufaan saa kyon hain?

is shahar mein har shaks pareshaan saa kyon hain” – Gaman

The first line from this great ghazal of Muzaffar Ali’s directorial debut Gaman perhaps explains city life more than anything else. Ask anyone who lives in a city and you will understand. Underneath the glitz and glamour lies an enormously lifeless and insecure life which takes the breadth away from all of us. This is how city life is: it gives but at the same time, takes more, the peace and joy of our very existence.

With all its advantages and amenities, city life is still an experience that most of us become fed up of. The city is all happening, but most of it is artificial; devoid of life and warmth. A village may not have plush parks and malls, but the warmth and peace you get sitting on your cot amidst a cool breeze is far better than sitting in an air conditioned multiplex. This is how village life is: it embraces you with innocent affection, while city life draws your blood away, little by little, under the antic disposition of vibrancy and liveliness.

Wake up from bed and what comes inside is some gust of poisonous gases (they have cut most trees in the city in the pretext of urbanization- there’s very little oxygen left). The lovely birds which once used to make your day by their sweet chirpings are gone. All you have is some vehicles honking and people shouting everywhere. “What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?” If you walk down the streets, you will see dejected and tired faces, from a laborer pulling a cart to a professional wearing a tie, everyone has the same look of insecurity and anxiety.

Accidents, murders, suicide, lay offs…whatever bad and evil you want to hear and see, you will get it in the city. Says, a young IT professional, “well, city life may be full of adrenaline rush, but ultimately that rush kills you”. A recent survey made on city life has shown that almost 70 % of urban people suffer from some kind of stress related disorder. Psychiatrists say that the trend is alarmingly increasing, more among the youth. The effect and result- more suicides, drug addictions, life style problems, divorces, break ups…the list continuous. After a hectic day, many of us go to pubs and coffee shops to hang out and enjoy. Well, it’s just a pretext to stay away from the stress, “hanging out” is the other name of “escaping from stress”.

So, how to get out of the stress? No answer. Once you start living in a city, you have to be a part of it, whether you like it or not. And well if you are not fast enough to match today’s fast life: you are considered as a misfit and moron. A city is like a bottomless pit, full of wealth and chances, but once you step in it, getting out becomes very bleak. To sum up with the words of renowned Hindi poet, Som Thakur, “taan hue shahar ke, par maan jangal ke hue, sish kaati deh liye, hum is kolahal mein, ghumte rahe lekar bish….”