‘They treated us like their grandchildren’

“Love has the power to derive pleasure from mistakes,discords and failures; just as a mother’s love overflows at the false step of the child whom she is teaching to walk. Love does not ask anything beyond itself. It is a fulfillment and the end in itself.”

So take a pledge to understand the love and feelings of your parents and give due respect to them.

Pooja Mathur,PGT English

Old-age home — Does not the term itself scare you? Doesn’t these exist only to support old people abandoned by their families. Well,I was one curious person to go to an old-age home to find out the reality. And eventually,I was not surprised to find out that the old people living there were not happy. All of them had resigned to their fates. They get food items free at the old-age home but the things they have do not satisfy their wants. But yes,the trip was an eye-opener. When I came home,I gave my grandparents a big hug.

Anubha Ghoshal, XI-E

It is very easy to defeat someone,but it is very hard to win someone.’’

The concept of old-age home probably came when people started ignoring their parents,they did not have either time to talk to them or to look after them,families started neglecting their basic needs — then the old,infirm and the elderly turned towards old-age homes rather than stay with their families. I visited an old-age home in Rajendra Nagar with my friends and teacher,Pooja Mathur. We distributed among the people living there storybooks,cards,flowers,eatables and shared time with them.

SANJANA ANAND,XI-D

I feel fortunate to have visited the old-age home,which sensitised me to be kind and benevolent to the old. The thing that struck me most was the peace and solace we experienced there. Also,all the people there were very welcoming. It was a wonderful place with wonderful people who were very inspiring and motivating. They were old people but with young hearts. All the people live there like a family and take care of one another when someone falls sick.

They enjoy many facilities but the pain of separation from their family members could be seen clearly in their eyes and we all tried our level best to console them,make them happy and kept them involved by singing songs. This is an experience I will always remember and cherish. And I am happy that our school took the initiative to visit the place. We even promised them to visit again.

MUSKAAN,XI-B

As I entered the premises of the old-age home,I noticed that the place was marked with complete silence. I spoke to a woman who lives there. I asked her how she came to the place. She said that her son died at a tender age. After the demise of her son and husband,her life came to a standstill. She became lonesome and came there,she said. In the evening of their lives,they have been left for themselves and lead a rather solitary existence. Nothing can be more terrible than the poverty of loneliness.

DIVYA JAIN,XI-A

There were 11 rooms at the old-age home with a garden at the centre. I was moved by the plight of two elderly persons I interacted with during my visit. One was a 62-year-old woman who has been living there for the past nine years. She suffers from swelling in her legs for which she is being treated. We also spoke to other women who have been suffering from chronic illnesses and are undergoing treatment. Also,we asked them about their daily schedule,their likes,dislikes,their reason for moving in there and the message they would like to give to today’s youth. If today we behave cruelly with our elders,then we will also suffer the same fate at the hands of our children.

Nidhi Vij,XI-C

Recently,we,Doonites,cherished the golden opportunity to meet the most amiable people in society — old people… This was made possible by a visit to an old-age home. There were 10 to 15 people residing in different rooms. There was a couple who shared the joys and sorrows of old age. There were two dadijis. I had a great time with them. We shared our lunch and they fed me with their own hands. I was touched. We discussed the changing attitudes of young people towards old age and I could feel the pain in their eyes.

Mansi Bora,XI-D

My visit to the old-age home was a very heart-touching experience. The people living there were of the age of my own grandparents. I feel I am very lucky to have my grandparents living with me. It was not at all pleasing to see the old people living there,deprived of all the love and care they should receive at this point in their lives. Most of the people there miss their families,children and got very emotional talking about their past and family. But I can surely say that the old people there are still full of life. They want to sing,dance,share their likes and dislikes and are ready to enjoy their lives to the fullest. It was heart-rending to listen to the reasons for which they had moved there. But they all were happy to have us with them as we were like their grandchildren.

PRERNA KUMAR,XI-C

I was very excited when I got to know that we would be going to an old-age home. I never saw my grandmother and thought it would be a great opportunity to know how she could have been. And trust me friends,they make you feel so homely when you get there. But somewhere I felt sorry for them as they have to live there instead of their own houses. Everyone had a different story,a different reason due to which they were there. An old woman there told us that her son is a very rich man,he works in Africa,has two sons and around 10 servants are always around him but he is so poor by heart that he cannot afford to give his mother a single penny. There is a child in each of them and it’s our responsibility to look after them.

BHAVIKA BAHL,XI-A

I would like to share a thought: “We make them cry who care for us.We cry for those who never care for us.” This is the truth of life. Parents play an important role in our lives. They bring up their children despite facing so many socio-economic difficulties. They fulfill our every demand and never complain. In return,it is our duty to give them respect,love and care. Why do some of us leave them in old-age homes when they badly need us? Why they have to struggle all alone there? The new generation see their parents as hurdles in this competitive world. Parents are to be given the topmost priority over everything. They should be included in the family-running process so that they do not feel ignored.

AANCHAL ARORA,XI-B