Life
beyond sixty
A report released in April 2016 said
that the number of citizens over the age of 60 jumped 35.5 per cent — from 7.6
crore in 2001 to 10.3 crore in 2011.This is also a record high since 1950 and
is almost twice the rate at which the overall population grew. In the same
period — 2001 to 2011 — India’s overall population grew by 17.7 per cent,
according to official figures. The number of Indians over the age of 60 has hit
an all-time high, accounting for 8.6 per cent of the country’s 121-crore
population, according to latest official figures.
“The trend clearly
reveals that ageing will emerge as a major social challenge in the future.”
With increasing longevity, the requirements of aged persons are
also changing. Many senior citizens are now living alone as their children are
settled abroad or are living in far off places and cannot therefore, provide
any physical assistance which most of them require at this stage. Some of them
develop depression due to isolation and complete lack of psychological and
physical support from their relatives. We, therefore, need to introspect
seriously about the emerging trends so that we can live a happy retired life.
We were born a small
child. Our parents brought up us with lot of love and affection. They made a
lot of sacrifice to send us to schools and colleges and helped us to be what we
are. But the parents who brought up us with so much love and affection have now
grown old. It is disappointing to find parents craving for justice from their
own children. Their life and property are unsafe in the hands of those whom
they had nourished throughout. The problem is more acute among the rich and the
affluent. They are ready to spend over their parents but do not have time to
care for them. We can find many aged persons from affluent families languishing
in the elder’s home. The aged parents from the lower income group have greater
emotional protection. They respect their parents and take their advice in the
family matters. Despite economic hardship, they find time and money to serve
their parents. The situation is mostly different in affluent families.
The
first and foremost requirement is a healthy life. It is essential for people of
all ages. But it is a great asset for senior citizens. We may avoid illness by developing
healthy habits. Regular consultation with Doctors and proper medication is a
must. Besides a balanced diet also helps in maintaining good health. It is not
important how long we live. But we should live a healthy and self-dependent
life. If we are physically incapacitated, we become a liability for our
relatives. Nobody has time to attend the ill and incapacitated persons. Even
rich and affluent persons, who are physically unfit, are left out at senior
citizen homes.
To
have a respectful retired life, one should be physically and financially
self-dependent. Good health and physical fitness is essential for happy life.
We may enjoy our money only as along we are physically fit. Otherwise it will
be of no use. Therefore, we should undertake regular exercise. The type of
exercise may vary from man to man depending upon his health conditions.
Deteriorating
health conditions are major hazard for senior citizens. Our health system is
not conducive to the requirements of the elderly persons. Although rules are
there in place to give them preferential treatment so that they do not have to
stand in que, but this is hardly practiced. I myself had to fight several times
to get this facility while standing in que at CGHS counters. I even filled
application under RTI to elicit legal provisions and their implementation being
done at the CGHS counters. I got replies from several CGHS centres in Delhi,
but its implementation was always challenged by other visitors who would not
wait rather fight with the elderly persons if they get out of turn treatment.
One
day I had gone to book a registered post at the Lajapat Nagar post office. I
saw an elderly person requesting the counter clerk to book his post out of turn
as he was a senior citizen. This led to lot of quarrels with other customers
who would not buzz. I tried to support the man fighting for the right thing but
even the postal authorities remained passive and did not listen to the genuine
request of the elderly person who ultimately had to wait for about half an hour
to get his work done.
Everybody who is young must grow old. There is no
alternative to this. But we can certainly make a difference by adopting right
attitude. The first and foremost requirement for a happy life is
self-satisfaction. We must thank God for whatever we have got in our life. We
may thank him for gifting us with children who are self-dependent by now, for
good houses that we have built and even for good health that we possess.
We keep on earning throughout our
life. This is the time when we can enjoy our hard-earned money. There are
people who keep saving money even when there is hardly time left to utilize
them. Many of them are heard saying that they did not have avenue to spend. If
that is so, we may gift away a portion of our wealth for the welfare of the
poor and needy persons. Keeping money just locked in the bank brings nothing
except interest. If we can spend additional money and resources for the public
welfare it may give us lasting peace of mind.
Property,
name, fame and the entire material things which we have acquired during our
life time are bound to go. Everybody who came to this world ultimately died without
any exception. We are also in the same que. It does not mean that we should
stop doing anything and everything and sit idle waiting for death to come. That
will be too much, but we must not forget the ultimate truth of life. If we just
keep in mind and weigh for options before us in crucial moments of life, we
shall not only be in peace with ourselves but will also do a lot of good to
humanity. Unfortunately, we cling to the past and try to regain something
already lost. We should get rid of useless material possessions and live with the
minimum so that the journey back to home is without riders. We need to learn
and understand sayings from Kabirdas-“jas ko tas dhar dinhi chadariya”.
The problem with us is that we get attached with every
small thing that we come across during the long journey of life with the result
that such things instead of adding to happiness in our life become a source of
trouble. We remain mentally involved in protecting things which are sure to go.
This disturbs peace of mind. The question is:” What should be done then?” The
answer lies within us. We should try to hand over authority to the next
generation at the right moment. I quote a verse in Sanskrit:
Prathame
naarjitam vidya,dvitiye naarjitam dhanam,Tritiye naarjitam dharmam,chatirtham
kim krisyate””meaning
thereby that one should acquire
education till the age of twenty-fifth earn livelihood/wealth till the age of
fifty, then should involve in welfare
measures, religious work otherwise nothing can be done at the end?
Life has its own circle. Every child
grows to become adult and ultimately becomes an old man before he leaves the
world. Very few people are not lucky and may die young or even earlier. We are
lucky that way to be able to live long. But we must not forget that there is no
exception to death. The best solution for something which cannot be changed is
to accept it. That should be the case with life and death. We must accept it
and live happily. Persons growing old should develop detachment with things
around.
We must develop faith in God. A
person who believes in Him will be free from fear of any kind. Fear of death or
for that matter eventualities of life which are not of our liking vanishes once
we integrate ourselves with God. We are never alone! He is always there to
guide us during difficulties of life. Fearlessness gives tremendous strength.
It brings out our hidden energy and makes us feel strong.
You have been struggling throughout . Now it is time to relax and enjoy little time that you have at your possession in
engaging with yourself. Your hobbies and personal interests should dominate
your daily routine. No need to put alarm in the clock. No need to put too much
restriction on what to eat and what not. Even if it means slight stomach
disorder, do not mind. Please go ahead with menu of your choice. After all,
what is the purpose of living too long, if we do not enjoy it!
We can live meaningful life even
beyond sixty. We can involve ourselves in welfare work as per our test and
capacity. There are many such avenues. Persons interested in teaching can hold
free classes to educate the poor children living in slums. The Government hospitals provide another venue for serving the ailing persons . Many patients and their wards keep
moving here and there for want of appropriate knowledge about facilities
available at the hospital. We may utilize our time and resources to help such
needy persons. These are only a few examples but individuals can find much more depending upon their nature, and situation.Such activities besides keeping us engaged, also provide
self-satisfaction. We must keep ourselves socially involved and adopt an optimistic attitude .Above all,we must integrate ourselves with well being and happiness of others. This will make our old age really worth living!
