12. Essay Life in a Big City (10th/12/2nd Year/BA/B. Sc) by AG Ahmad

 Essay No. 12

--  Life in a Big City  --

As it is wisely said,

“The city is the teacher of the man”.

          A big city is a product of civilization. It has all the facilities and comforts that civilization can provide. The life in city is very different from the village life. It is busy, fast and restless. The people are always in a hurry. For most of the time, they are running after one thing or another. The city life has its pleasant and bright side. All the necessities and comforts of life are available for the city people. As it is rightly said,

                    “A great city is that which has the greatest men and women”.

Life is full of activities in a big city. A big city is a centre of all types of education. It is a centre of trade, medical facilities, business and recreation. The population increases during the daytime. People staying the nearby villages and towns come to the city on different errands (tasks). As it is wisely said,

“It isn't necessary to have relatives in city in order to be unhappy.

It is only that you come for money”.

Life in a big city starts early in the morning. Many school buses carrying school children can be seen playing on roads. School children dressed in their uniform can be seen on the roads walking or waiting for buses. Some are seen moving on scooters and in cars. As it is rightly said,

“Hold a book in your hand and

You’re a pilgrim at the gates of a new city”.

Then a long queue of office-workers can be seen at the bus stops. Some go by their own vehicles and others go by buses or trains. Some people use cycles and auto rickshaws to go to their destination. People go to the market to buy vegetables and household things. With every passing hour, the traffic goes on increasing. As it is wisely said,

“As one who longs in populous city,

Where houses are thick and sewer (drain) annoy the air”.

There are big shops, stores and super-markets that sell everything from a needle to a motor car. Pakistan’s typical city is not a very clean and pleasant place. It has its posh localities and its shabby slums, too. The heaps of refuse and pools of dirty water that spread diseases and epidemic (plague) are seldom removed from the poor quarters of the city. As it is rightly said,

 “To one extent, if you've seen one city slum, you've seen them all”.

 Medical facilities are available to the people in a city. The government and the municipal committee run a number of dispensaries, hospitals and maternity homes. Large hospitals have facilities for operations and blood transfusion. In addition to these, there are other clinics run by private practitioners and specialists. As it is wisely said,

“It is possible to provide security against other ills,

but as far as death is concerned, men live in a city without walls”.

Life in the city has certain charms. There are many places for recreation. There are big parks, hotels and clubs for entertainment. As it is rightly said,

“City force growth and make people talkative and entertaining,

but they also make them artificial”.

For example, Lahore is a city of historical places. We find Minar-e-Pakistan, Badshahi Mosque and the Shahi Fort, etc. These attract tourists from all over the world. Tourism adds to the revenue of the respective states. As it is wisely said,

“A great city is not to be confounded with a populous one”.

Cities have big factories and industrial centres. Thousands of people earn their living from those. Thus, cities offer great employment opportunists. There is a great scope of earning money through business in a city. Even tailors, vendors, washer men and others earn enough money.  

“A city is a large community where people are lonesome together”.

A city has certain disadvantages. Here, everyone remains busy. Neighbours’ live like strangers. One hardly knows who the next door neighbour is. Everyone finds himself in hurry and worry. One ignores the ailing person on the roadside. As it is wisely said,

“There is no solitude in the world like that of the big city”.

However, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Cities provide a lot of employment opportunities. Development takes place faster in cities. A city broadens the outlook of an individual. It offers scope in many areas. One does not remain idle in a city. Thus, cities add to the economic development of the nation. As it is wisely said,

“The city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo.