Sociologists around the world are calling the virus a threat to urbanization. American author Michael Kimelman has called the virus even anti-urban. However, he has also insisted on fighting it, as it is against the natural process and nature of human to human association. They believe that modern science and society has given us so much strength that we can fight with the biggest difficulties.
At the same time, JNU Assistant Professor GS Meena says that Corona has shown a mirror to the world's development model. The world has chosen industrialization, modernism and urbanization whereas leaders like Mahatma Gandhi have been in favor of Gram Swaraj. According to sociologists, increasing congestion in cities is a major problem of urbanization. Although the cities of Europe are less crowded, they could not escape from Corona that is why the idea of turning to villages in Europe is underway. In the last several years, international environmental conferences have also raised talk of reducing urbanization and promoting villages.
Cities have autism and person-centered arrangements. The capitalist system of cities emphasizes profits. Although, they believe that capitalism and urbanization benefit, the gap between rich and poor in the cities has also increased. The state's welfare schemes have reduced. At the same time, according to Michael, today we have social media, digital penetration and remote technology. We had long ago learned to live in our phones and virtual worlds by creating social distance. But after Corona, we have to find another way, so that we can improve urban life.
According to GS Meena, the economy of the village is self-sufficient. Even if the contact of the village is cut for a few months to a nearby village or city, there is no significant difference in life . According to GS Meena, the laborers are returning to the village during the Corona period. The reason is that people in the village are involved in each other's happiness and sorrow. Food and work are available. It is not that villages are untouched by the problem. The standard of living in the village is not good. Nevertheless, old wrong practices like bonded system and forced labor have come down in the village. At the same time, the government's strong access to the village has weakened the system of exploitation. The thinking of hierarchy has also reduced in the village. We can adopt a mixed model of rural-tribal life for survival and development from Corona. We learn to protect nature from tribal life. At the same time, the village teaches us to be self-sufficient. We can also include the merits of cities in it.
