Of small towns and BIG Hearts :)

I live in Cuttack..and before you ask " Where's that?? " Its a "small town" in Odisha , India. And given the "Gangs of Waaseypur" Phenomenon..the small towns in India have acquired a typical image in the eyes of the "elite and sophisticated metropolitans" . A typical small town would be pictured as a dusty landscape having narrow lanes, unclean drains, hordes of people and cattle moving here and there, scooters carrying uncle, aunty and their chunu-munu , paan eating local goons ornamented with sickles, knives and revolvers ready for war anytime and every time.

And i have noticed,  the moment you introduce yourself  dwelling from a city that  can be categorized as "small town".. you create an impression that  you can never speak English without that typical "small town accent", you know nothing about the subtleties of modern  day living, all you do is watch saas- bahu soaps and are bland and unaware of those progressive advances in the world. A typical small town girl is figured as someone who wears salwar kameez throughout her childhood and teenage, is decked with gold earrings, goes to temple every tuesday, has a moti choti of oiled up hair, dreams of getting married right after school, only to become the ideal bahu with colorful bangles, sarees, sindoor.

I wonder what is the criteria that makes a city or town "small". If it is on the basis of area..then why this sheer branding of it and its people as backward and unsophisticated. 

Here's a few instances which i would love to share about my Cuttack, it is a city with a Heart, It is a city where people of various languages, cultures, castes and religions come together and celebrate festivals that encompass every boundary of inhibition one can think of, where you can see a wealthy businessman and a modest labourer gorge on dahibara- aludum from the same vendor on the street, where you'll have people stop and care if you met with an accident, where you can still catch a glimpse of a grandfather and grandchild on the same cycle or luna, where shopkeepers treat you more than just a mere customer and care about your needs, where a modest rickshaw puller can teach you a lesson or two about life,where people would support you and create a furore if some jobless romeo passed lewd comments on you, where the spirit of people to be happy and to celebrate harmony is of far more importance than their economic status.

I think these are few of the many characteristics of my Cuttack which may be small in size, may not have multiplexes and malls, may not be suave and sleek but it certainly has a BIG HEART :) So all the people reading this..please do not stereotype cities and its people as "small" on the basis of your imaginative assumptions. Every city with its people has a heart and a unique spirit which should be saluted and revered :) Only then can we broaden our own horizons rather than casting others as shallow and backward.