Senior citizens everywhere are putting the
  gold back into their golden years

While the world’s moving fast and furiously, taking people way beyond their home towns and countries, to explore new horizons, there’s someone back home who’s world has shrunk: the senior citizens. Post retirement, many of them are faced with a sudden vacuum when their active, working life comes to a halt. Grown-up children leaving the home, after marriage or to pursue a career, further contributes to the sense of isolation and disconnection. But the good news is: many of Pune’s senior citizens are changing all that. They are coming together, taking the initiative to brighten up their lives, remain active, and do a whole lot of good. Their group gatherings offer them a sense of purpose, companionship, support and direction.

Casual camaraderie over time forges precious bonds of affection and empathy. “Our bonding is simply great. We have all become thick friends,” says Kumar Kiwalkar of his group, the Non-Resident Indian Parents’ Organisation (NRIPO). The group was started by Justice N.L. Abhyankar a decade ago to help parents of NRIs cope with loss of purpose and depression. So great is the need for such an organisation that it has a membership of over 1000 people and 35 units in Pune alone. NRIPO follows a “one-by-two” policy, whereby one lonely person or a couple is taken care of by two others, who help with errands, visits to the doctor, etc. Besides maintaining social bonds through steady contact and get-togethers, NRIPO helps its members to share and solve problems of all kinds – everyday chores and errands, banking, visas, property investments and so on. It also arranges for immediate medical help, and is associated with 12 top city hospitals, where treatment is provided to NRIPO ID cardholders without paying huge deposits. “We do not get together just to share worries. We find solutions,” says Kiwalkar, who is the secretary of the Pune chapter.

Many more seniors are devising ways of livening their retirement with fun and laughter. “Without good spirits and a sense of emotional well-being, there’s not much good health,” says R.G. Mathur of the Senior Citizens’ Forum, Wanowrie also known as the Laughter Club. Club members meet at 6:00 a.m. everyday at the open ground near Sacred Heart Town. Around 200 members gather to laugh together for 20 minutes; they then do physical exercises and breathing exercises. “Members love this club so much that they turn up on rainy days as well,” says Mathur cheerfully. It’s a cosmopolitan mix: Punjabis, Hyderabadis, Biharis, Goans, Tamilians and Maharashtrians are all friends. This lively group meets at picnics, medical camps and other social gatherings. Their recent trip to Ganpatipule on the coast was a huge success. “These are our bonus years, let us enjoy them,” says Mathur with a smile.

Enjoying good company and food is what’s on the menu for the Gourmet Club. This group of close friends meets at restaurants “to eat, drink and be merry,” as Lt. Gen. (Retd.) I.M. Ahuja puts it laughingly. Members of this group are well-travelled, have led fairly successful professional lives and especially enjoy dining out. “Yes, we try out different cuisines and enjoy general “gupshup” about food, politics, movies, and social issues. But we’re there for each other through difficulties as well,” says Shobha Ahuja, the Lieutenant General’s wife.

The knowledge that there is support available in good times and bad greatly reinforces the feeling of self worth and belonging. “We were lone spirits but not any more,” says Yvette Gonsalves from The Golden Girls, a group of senior ladies in the Quarter Gate area. The ladies meet often, sharing meals, easing each other’s problems, praying, singing and laughing. They believe that their alliance has definitely helped assuage a sense of loneliness. They’re comforted by the awareness that they can look to each other for trust, encouragement and support at any time.

“A meeting of minds,” is how a young resident of Mira Society describes the Senior Citizen’s Welfare Association of Mira Society, Salisbury Park. This 60-strong group, started six years ago, has monthly lectures where they invite people to talk to them on various subjects. (Younger people are welcome too.) As Kusum Gokarn, secretary of the Association says, “We aim to help one another, particularly the older people.” Recently, the group celebrated 1 October, International Day for the Elderly, with other senior groups.

Common concerns often draw people together and many seniors are bonding in small groups to voice them. Jan Milan, a group formed by concerned citizens after the communal riots in Gujarat, meets to speak about each other’s culture and customs and to share prayers of different faiths. Dr. Gitanjali Rao, the initiator of this group, says they believe that philosophy and practice should go hand-in-hand and this is their bit to promote communal harmony. Likewise, Talib Khambatta’s Wadians Alumni and Inter-religious Group makes it a point to meet on National festivals to say inter-faith prayers.

Registered associations or just an informal gathering of friends, these groups provide seniors a combination of companionship, assistance and affirmation. It is heartening to see how our seniors have decided to enrich their lives with laughter, camaraderie and sharing – while standing firmly in support of one another.

Senior Citizens’ Forum, Wanowrie, R.G. Mathur, Phone: 26833404/26853487

N.R.I.P.O., M.H. Paranjape, President, Pune Chapter, Phone: 25650881

Kumar Kiwalkar, Phone: 98500 89303

Senior Citizens’ Welfare Association of Mira Society, Kusum Gokarn, Phone: 24261293

Jan Milan, Dr. Gitanjali Rao, Phone: 26853284

Wadians Alumni and Inter-religious Group, Talib Khambatta, Phone: 26852623

- Shabnam