Village by the sea ( Urban and rural life )

In the book Village By The Sea, urban and rural life is depicted in Thul and Bombay respectively. In the village of Thul, the villagers depend upon organic fishing and farming to earn a living, and their houses are hand made with mud and grass. Their way of life is very simple, such as Hari, who lives in a hut hand made of mud and grass. A day in his life is to brush his teeth with barks fallen off a neem tree, before going to the sheperd for milk fresh from the cow. After that, his sister, Lila, would boil tea for his family, and get his two younger sisters to change for school. Hari then would go to the field to plant crops, go fishing with a small net in the afternoon, and then make his retreat to home in the evening. The villagers do not use factory-produced fertilizers but instead uses cow dung. Most of the villagers do not use motorised boats-- they use handmade sailing boats. This is an example of rural life.

In the city of Bombay, farming is hardly practiced there. The citizens have a job such as accountants, members of parliament or shopowners. Bullockcarts are not used, and are replaced by cars, trucks and buses. High-rise buildings fill the spaces in Bombay instead of tatched houses. Factories rise from everywhere and pollution fills the air. Computers are widely used, and mobile phones are even more popular. Housing is cramped to fit many people at one time, and the housing estates can be as high as ten stories. The rich are able to live in private condominiums gaurded by watchmen, and enjoy a luxurious life, like Mr. De Silva. This is an example of urban life.