St Mark’s Public School students visit old-age home,share cheer

With life becoming very materialistic,it becomes imperative to teach our younger generation to value everything they have.The fact that everyone is hardpressed for time,makes it all the more important for us to take time out for our family members,our grandparents included.

This visit to an old-age home was one such attempt by us.We are happy that the Indian Express supported us in our initiative. We are sure that such initiatives will help our students to become good citizens.

Anjali Aggarwal,Principal

It was a visit that I cannot and will not forget.What a day it was and what a place we visited. I have been for picnics and excursions before and even went to Italy as part of a student-exchange programme,but this trip was amazing. I have never been to an old-age home. When I finally went to one as part of a school trip,I came back speechless. We were greeted warmly there and we found out that all the elderly people were very jovial and full of life. They shared their likes and dislikes with us and also made us laugh at their light-hearted jokes. I could see the passion in them to do things which they had never done before. We sang and danced with them. They were all happy have us interacting with them. Some of them even cried when we were about to leave. It was wonderful to know that your presence could bring a smile to others faces.

Vaibhav Raj,X-F

I feel proud to have been part of a group of students who visited an old-age home. I was so touched by all that I saw and heard there. It is sad to see parents doing so much for their kids,but children do not reciprocate their parents’ feelings sometimes. I feel pity not for the elderly people there but for their sons and daughters who had left them there. I interacted with many senior people there. There was one person whom I cannot forget. He liked to be called ‘John Baba’,and he made us laugh with his jokes. Listening to the heartbreaking stories of the inmates made us sad. John Baba’s story was a sad one too. But he was so full of joy and fun. Here was a man who had lost his vision and had been forced to live in an old-age home.

I realised,that in comparison our problems are so tiny,but we make them look so big. Here are people who have so many problems. Yet,they are smiling and making everybody happy. I felt I should take inspiration from John Baba. I need to learn to stop complaining and consider myself blessed for all that I have.

Rohit Raman Banerjee,X-F

On January 31,we visited an old-age home with two of our teachers. We were oblivious to what was in store for us. As we entered,we took the blessings of the senior people residing there. We introduced ourselves to them and told them about our school and our lifestyles. We saw a lot of love and affection in their eyes for us and we felt that they were just like our grandparents. Later, they shared their life stories with us. It was a wonderful atmosphere and we started singing songs together. We cracked jokes and had them laughing. But in a while,they got emotional and began crying. We made them stop crying as we wanted them to be happy till we were there at least. We gave them fruits we had brought with us. We didn’t want to leave them so early but we had to reach school on time. They started crying again when we told them goodbye. We promised to visit them again with our families. It was one of the best days of my life and I’ll never forget it.

Shubham Juneja,X-E

On my visit to the old-age home,I had several questions in my mind. Why do people live away from their families? Do their children come to meet them? I had heard and read about how children don’t take care of their parents on the television and newspapers. But visiting the home gave a better picture of what life is like for the elderly. Old age is a time when people need more love and care. It is at this time that children abandon them. I realised that even when the elderly people were enjoying themselves,there was something that kept troubling them. Their experiences brought tears to our eyes. But what touched us the most was their lively spirit. We went there to to make them happy but their love and blessings made us happier. This trip proved to be an eye-opener for all of us. We children,at times,don’t realise that we have been blessed with our parent’s love. I request all children,teenagers and youngsters to take care of their parents and not leave them alone in their old age. Remember, if you ignore your parents,your children might do the same to you.

Navneet Arora,X-E

The visit to the old age home in Sarita Vihar was an eye-opener. Meeting old people abandoned by their children was a heart-breaking experience. We reached the old-age home and met the inmates there.We started talking to them regarding their daily routines. While chatting with them,we realised that all they wanted was love and care from those who came to meet them. Their children too could have done this by spending some time with them. Listening to their stories made me sad. We tried to cheer them up by chatting with them.We also sang songs to make them happy. This visit has made me more sensitive towards the elderly. I have decided to spend more quality time with my grandparents rather than watching TV or surfing the Net.While returning,we discussed their stories with our teachers and asked them to arrange more such trips.

Pooja Seth,X

Parents’ love is a gift of God and we are lucky to have it. When people become old , all they need is love ,affection,time and care . It is sad to see some children forgetting their duties towards their parents and neglecting them. When I got an opportunity to visit an old-age home,I came across many elderly people and heard their stories. One inmate told us that he had three children and they had left him there. He told us that for the past three years,none of his children came to meet him. We got to hear many such stories and each story was more tragic than the other. We wanted to make them feel happy,and so,we all sang songs and even made them dance. I tried my best to make them happy and,in doing so,I felt so contended. In all,this experience was an eye-opener for us We must take care of our parents.They are the ones who stand by us throughout our lives. They will always help us up when we fall and they are the ones who have made us what we are today.

Simran Kaur Malhotra,X