Designing a Compassionate City of the Future

The city where life thrives with love & compassion. The only religion followed is Humanity. When I say life thrives, it is life of every living being. Right from Insects to human being and plants. This story of Sara & Debashish unfolds in such a city.

It was a chai stall on the street corner, famous in the city called Saleem ki Chai. Saleem chacha was in his seventees and had his shop in this corner for the last 50 years. He was famous for his Adrak Ki Chai ( Tea made with ginger ). Sara was new in the town and she was first time visitng the Chai ki dukan. She enjoyed the tea right from her first sip. It was refreshing and she forgot all her new job stress. She was a tea totler and for her, Chai was a ritual she never missed.

She finished her tea and told Saleem chacha that the chai was very good and she will visit the shop regularly. She looked for her purse to pay money only to realise that she kept her purse in the office itself which was opposite of the tea stall. She was embarrassed & clueless about what to do? Suddenly she herd someone telling Saleem Chacha that he will pay for her tea. Politely Saleem Chacha told both of them they are newcomer in the city and the first Chai will be free for them. He further assured them that if they need any help in the city, please don’t hesitate to ask for help.

Both of them came out of the tea stall talking to each other about the experiences of the city. Deb said, I came here by train and was looking for the place to stay and the Autorikshaw owner helped me to find a good place to stay. Not only that he also offered him, the meal till he settles down in the new house.

Sara said for me it was love at first sight for this city, the moment I entered this city. Every where greenery, huge 4 lane roads, free internet across the city for public. No skyscrapers or traffic chaos. They have permission to build only three floors for any apartment or bungalow. No pollution, all vehicles were running on Hydrogen cell and there was no exhaust from the vehicles. The city is surrounded by mountains and the weather is pleasant . People are so kind and loving that they are always ready to help & support.

Sara said but the issue is they have no permission for new construction and there is no addition of new houses. This was surely helping them to keep the city less crowded and free from chaos. Sara continues, I am finding it difficult to get the rental house. Immediately Deb said we can share my apartment, it has two bedrooms. Realisng that he has made mistake of asking a girl to stay with him and said sorry, I was trying to help you.

Sara and Deb had recently shifted to this city from a Metro city. The city they lived in, was fully overloaded with all kinds of people and unruly traffic. High rise buildings to accommodate the inflow and shortage of basic amenities like water and electricity and public transportation. Deb was a computer engineer with specialisation in AI and ML. Sara had completed her Masters in business Administration. Both of them got nice paying job in this city. They were not knowing each other before they met in the Chai ki Dukan. But the concern for both of them was common, how would be the new city, how would be the people there etc.

Sara continued the conversation and said to Deb that, don’t worry, the vibes of this city are such that everyone here becomes kind hearted and loving person. She said I am open to your offer but before saying yes, we shouyld know each other well then only we will start living in one apartment. As long as our intentions are pure, we should not worry about anything.

And Sara & Deb decided to spend time together to understand each other. They used to move together in the beautiful gardens and watch colourful butterflies, or sometimes the small winged friends jumping from one branch to another. Their morning used to start on the jogging track for the exercise regime. It was such a beautiful jogging track built and maintained by city council. The track was specially prepared with hard & soft soil so that while running on the track it will not harm the knees. It used to play beautiful melodies of old songs in low volume. It was perfect environment for exercise and meditation.

There was a beautiful library, built and maintained by the city council. The building Architecture was so nice that Sara used to simply love to be around the campus. They had all kinds of books, digital reading material and different genre of books stored differently. Suzan, the librarian was so kind and helpful lady, she used to always find a book which sara needed. The library was free of cost, once you register at the city council. Sara used to spend hours in the library reading the books.

Debashish loved the sports and particularly the Lawn Tennis. The city has recreational center which had all kinds of sports facilities. Right from Table Tennis, Badminton, swimming and Lawn Tennis. There was a coach appointed. They used to charge minimum fees for the consumables after registration at City Council. Deb used to play Lawn Tennis for regularly. The recreation center had a beautiful cafeteria, which was the favorite joint for both of them to spend time together.

The houses in the city were like the jungle resorts. Due to freeze on additional contruction, the dense forest remained intact and it was best place for Forest Bathing. Both of them used to sit on the benches in the forest either reaading books or discussing the work related issues. It was such a serene & quiet place that you could listen to the sound of wind gudhing through the tall trees.

The city was not crowded and the families settles here were staying peacefully and happily. The city had an Electric Bus moving around all the streets and housing complex for the whole day. With the purchase of one ticket, you can travel in the bus and enjoy the complete tour of city.

The city had small shops run by the residents selling Groceries, Bakery items and other daily essentials. Since the city residents used to run these shops there was always a personal touch between the customer & shopkeeper. The city was completely self sufficient. They used to prepare & consume everything needed to live daily life. The city was fully sustainable and self sufficient. They used to generate required electricity through windmills and solar powers. They had best waste management plant

In the weeks time both of them explored the complete city and started liking the city and each other too.

Finally they decided to stay together in this beautiful city as friends. No one in the city was judgemental about their relationship, neither anyone asked them about it.

Sara said to Deb that Sunday morning, why all the places can’t be so nice & beautiful 😊