What is active ageing, and why is it gaining momentum among the elderly?

While financial situations may have pushed her into working at this age, Kasiammal now finds herself enjoying what she does, and wants youngsters to start their own businesses like her. “Young Indians should seek inspiration from senior citizens like us,” she said, bursting into laughter.

Kasiammal is a firm believer in what is now called ‘active ageing’ and doesn’t wish to resign to fate just because she has crossed a certain threshold of age. According to World Health Organization (WHO), active ageing allows people to realise their potential for physical, social and mental well-being throughout life and to participate in society according to their needs, desires and capacities.

While it is commonly assumed that the life of an elderly gets limited to bare minimum work and prolonged hours of rest after a certain age, the concept of active ageing sets out to bust that myth by bringing the elderly back into society, on several fronts. “The word ‘active’ refers to continuing participation in social, economic, cultural, spiritual and civic affairs, not just the ability to be physically active or to participate in the labour force. Older people who retire from work and those who are ill or live with disabilities can remain active contributors to their families, peers, communities and nations. Active ageing aims to extend healthy life expectancy and quality of life for all people as they age, including those who are frail, disabled and in need of care,” WHO noted.

But when Kasiammal set out for opportunities, she couldn’t find anything that would be an elder-friendly option. During this time, she came across HelpAge India which was forming Elders Self Help Groups (ESHGs). In 2015, she, along with 14 other people, formed the Jhansi Rani Elders Self-Help Group, which would support them in future to lead a dignified life.

Keeping her age in mind, she decided to take up incense production as her small business. “My previous work as a cook needed lots of effort. Making food for hundreds of children, cleaning utensils, and arranging them on shelves needed a lot more energy, which my age did not permit. But, making incense sticks was an easy option, which did not require lots of physical labour and hard work,” she said.

She added that this art has not only improved the socio-economic condition of her family, albeit marginally, but has also made her independent. “The smoke enriched with the fragrance of burning incense sticks carries our prayers to our cherished Lord Murugan. With his blessings, I now earn about Rs 5,000 per month, which has helped in improving the condition of my family,” she said.

Kasiammal, who had retired at 65, now manufactures 150 packets of incense sticks a day at the age of 80. “I, along with two other elderly women, manufacture about 450 packets per day. Our self-help group now has Rs. 1,20,00 in our bank account. We want to include more and more women in our group to empower them,” she said.

Sumitra Samanta, a 60-year-old resident of Baishnabchak village, about 70 km from Kolkata, also set out on a similar quest for independence. Belonging to the Kolaghat region where bari business is immensely popular, Samanta decided to become a small independent bari businesswoman. “Like any other Bengali, I also made bari at my home for consumption. My neighbours and relatives liked the taste of my bari, and they suggested I make it for commercial sale. About three years ago, I started making bari for selling in the local market. One of my friends connected me to the HelpAge self-help group, which assured me of support in starting my business,” she told indianexpress.com.

Sumitra Samanta (Source: HelpAge India)

Believing that she is no longer “an unproductive senior citizen”, Samanta said, “Bari business has made me financially independent. I earn over Rs 4000 per month from the business. With every rupee I contribute at home, my prestige has enhanced domestically and socially. My husband, Hiren Samanta, 65, and I suffer from multiple ailments, including high blood pressure and sugar. I am now able to purchase expensive medicine from my own pocket, for both of us. This is very satisfying. I also saved some money to fulfil our religious duties. My husband and I also visited Tarapith, a 13-century Hindu temple of Goddess Tara in Birbhum of West Bengal to seek blessings.”

In the coming years, she wishes to expand her bari business by mechanising the manufacturing process. “I plan to buy an electric grinding machine which costs around Rs 35,000 in coming years so that I can take up large-scale manufacturing of bari. I hope to give employment to up to five women of my village if things go as per plan by next year,” she said.

According to Samanta, age is just a number and the world is materialistic as “it only respects people who are productive”. Emphasising the importance of active ageing, she said, “Bari making has made me independent, and I am no more dependent upon my son for my expenditures. Rather, I sometimes give money to him and my grandson. I have also bought a basic mobile phone for my use.”

Just like Kasiammal and Sumitra Samanta, Chekka Bagyamma, too, has let go of the age-related stereotypes and is now helping her son and daughter-in-law in their stitching business by making various hand-stitched items. “During the Covid pandemic, a series of lockdowns were imposed which affected livelihoods in our village, including my work as a daily labourer. My son, who is a tailor, suggested that sample masks from Pochampally Mandal headquarters can be purchased and after examination, the stitching pattern can be produced/made at home. While few masks were sold the rest were distributed free of cost to local group members because our major income was from the stitching work orders like cloths, blouses, etc.,” said Bagyamma, who has been working as a daily-wage labourer since childhood.

Chekka Bagyamma with her daughter-in-law (Source: HelpAge India)

At a time when her small agricultural land was taken over by the government by paying a compensatory amount and her son met with an accident which rendered him unable to practise tailoring full-time, Bagyamma is able to put her skills to use and support her family. “Ageing not only affects mobility but also influences health conditions, as in my case, I had to stop going to labour work because of diabetes and blood pressure. But as a result of being a member of Elders Self Help Group, I am not only able to socialise but also support my family and restore my dignity as the head of the family.”

She called upon fellow elderly people to explore new livelihood initiatives to not just achieve financial independence but also contribute to the family and society.

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