Engaging with elders

The time-tested custom of younger persons bowing before elders in a show of respect or the culture of touching their feet as a mark of unalloyed reverence cuts across all sections of society and the entire length and breadth of the country, still intact across all faiths, although the practice is witnessing a low key in our times, particularly in urban spaces. The elders of the land, however, would have felt more gratified if they were accorded loving care by the family members in the evening of their life. As a sort of compromise, they would love to be heard, if not listened to. Given the rising life expectancy of the land’s populace, on the cusp of 70 years, the presence of elders of the 60-plus years of age in the country’s population is fast inching to 10 percent, virtually constituting an army with a numerical strength of almost 130 million. The image of the elders in the eyes of sections of lower age as obtained differently among the literates and the unlettered separately in urban and rural spaces makes a fascinating study, particularly considering the dynamics of interaction between the young and the old in different situations. In the backdrop of this inter-citizen mosaic pitching the seniors against the rest in society, engaging with the elders can be made highly rewarding. The steadily expanding numbers of elders languishing in old-age homes, those whose mental faculties have witnessed a dip, sections among them with serious health issues and those disadvantaged physically are in no position to help themselves in steering themselves out of trouble. The more fortunate seniors with all their physical and mental abilities reasonably good are truly society’s asset built with years of the rough and tumble of life. Given the platform and an audience, they can recount with ease instances in their long life in the matter of learning from mistakes of actions and decisions. Not facilitating them to share their rich wisdom amounts to accumulating NPA (Non-Performing Assets). Speakers at a not-adequately-taken-note-of function held in the city early this week have rightly voiced calling upon senior citizens to share their experiences of life so that the younger generation can save substantial time and resources if they resort to get the lessons of life first-hand. The elders are willing to be engaged with the takers.