The silver lining

Heeding statistical data might have compelled the central government to make it into a law...

Heeding statistical data might have compelled the central government to make it into a law,but taking responsibility of elderly parents and senior citizens is a pleasure for many rather than mere responsibility. Even as many try to shrug off responsibility of their own parents,150 alumni of the Pune Vidyarthi Griha (PVG) have taken a step in the right direction by compiling a book titled Shishir. This book not only helps resume the lost dialogue between elders and youth,but also takes steps to solving problems that senior citizens face.

The major reason behind conflicts and misunderstanding between youngsters and senior citizens is the missing dialogue between the two. While seniors are headstrong about their viewpoints,offering the usual reason that they have seen life,the youngsters are careless and want to explore the world on their own. While both the views are justified,a co-existence is possible only with effective communication, says Shriram Oak,a PVG alumnus,who has compiled the book.

For the same reason,the members had also organised a state-level essay competition on various topics such as Old age – Bliss or Curse,Senior Citizen Clubs – Need of Time and so on. The book includes winning essays,along with some of the memorable stories that were received during the competition. Many of the articles were thought-provoking and we have included those as well in the book, adds Oak.

In addition to these essays,that express the views of senior citizens,the book goes a step ahead and talks about some complex issues such as the laws about will,a recently passed law that makes it compulsory for children to look after their elderly parents,challenges faced by parents of NRI children and so on. It also includes contact details of various organisations that are active in taking care of senior citizens such as NRUPA that works for parents of NRIs and Helpage India that supplies free medicines to elders and many more. There is no specific section of readers that we have targeted. While elders can read it for their own reasons,youngsters should read it to understand their duties towards their parents. Further,we must understand that we are all heading towards the same state in the walk of life.

It is thus important to understand that isolation of senior citizens is not a sign of healthy society, says Sadashiv Malashe,another alumnus of PVG as he adds,We are not criticising any particular age-group. All we want to communicate is that we all need to get rid of our egos and take a step towards each other.

Priced at Rs 80,currently 500 copies of the book have been published. In addition to Shishir,a book addressing the challenges faced by mentally challenged individuals titled Manasa has also been published by the group.

In October,we along with Apan Sare and Helpage India are organising an open communication between senior citizens and youngsters,so that they can put forth their views on the concerns and thus resolve the dispute, adds Oak.

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