Urbanised villages are those villages which have given up their land to the nearby (expanding) cities.
Delhi itself
has grown from a small, walled city to a giant metropolis. This has involved the large scale acquisition of land, and a large number of historic villages have been taken over in the process. Many of these even date back to the medieval period. The government acquired land around Delhi to settle its increasing population.
These were stretches of agricultural land, where the villagers earlier used to grow vegetables and other crops. Now offices, institutes and residential colonies are being constructed as part of the nation building process.
The government has concentrated its efforts on the development of the urban settlements; and the villages have largely been left untouched. But the urbanization process has disrupted the village economy, social hierarchy, culture and conventions for all time to come.
While the poorer villagers have found employment in the city (while continuing to live in the village), the more affluent among them are helping to meet the city’s insatiable demand for cheap housing. Lacking proper sewerage facilities, the living conditions have deteriorated, and become unhygienic. The streets are narrow and cramped for space. Many of these urban villages have turned into concrete jungles, their crowded lanes inundated with traffic. In fact, many of these villages have even been declared “slums” by the municipal authorities!
But the process of urbanization of the villages still continues unabated…
The village panchayat has been abolished; and many of the younger generation probably feel more at home in the markets of the neighboring colonies. The metropolitan expansion has almost done away (the once powerful) landed peasantry of Delhi as a distinct social class. The caste system still remains, although its influence is not as open or pervasive as before. Architecturally, most of the village wells still exist, and the villages are sprinkled with traditional architecture. Many villagers still rear cattle (mainly cows and buffaloes), though villagers owning a large number of cattle now operate dairies and sell milk to the urban colonies. The weekly bazaars - on the pavements of the settlements - date back to the medieval period. But these now cater to a much wider clientele.
In conclusion, though the urban villagers still (stubbornly) cling to some facets of rural life; but their community spirit is on the decline…