old age , hai budhapa'

Old age home means...

I know you know the meaning of this because you are on the net and have a reasonable level of IQ; you don’t need an English lesson last of all from me! It so happened that I viewed a program on TV on Old age homes and the rising number of these establishments. You can actually sort them out by city (courtesy bing) So, go ahead book yourself a place.

I belong to the old school of thought where one is duty bound to look after one’s elders and not shunt them to these establishments. The rising number upsets me. Why have we started to shirk from our responsibilities? Why is that we (this present Gen-x) shy away from old-age the approaching infirmities? Why have we started sprouting these mundane statements like...we are too busy, there is no good help these days, they demand too much attention.

Is this a sign of not facing reality? Is it because we shy away from anything which even suggests the first sign of wrinkles and mortality? The road will be travelled by us, make no mistake. Old age, death is inevitable as is the path on which we tread from times of Manu.

Question yourself, in regards to the inhumane treatment meted out to our elders who are shunted out because they talk too much or demand incessantly and whose reason for existence is justified till they don’t will their property.

I know you all are going to say this is shocking, but my dears this is how society operates. Sorry, to have hurt your feelings.

Indians have opinions about everything. No matter how ill informed, one-sided or self-serving it is we have an opinion. It is a national past-time… anybody who is worth their 2 rupee knows this so. What do you think? Are these institutions needed for our society (the framework of which is deteriorating) or should we uphold our traditional ways of looking our parents?

Think of yourself shunted into a sterilised, falsely cheerful, pastel coloured room with a few of your possessions scattered and tables lined with essential medicines to keep you going ……waiting for the nurse to come to break the eerie silence.