The car stood in the driveway gathering dust. My son had moved to Canada and left it at my house with no directions as to what was to be done with it. It wasn’t of any use to me because I’ve never driven a car and don’t know how to drive one. I turned 81…
By Aavesh Anand My neighbour was around 75. He was well-built and full of life. I was therefore surprised to get a hysterical call from his wife one day. Her husband had collapsed in the living room. He was still breathing but clearly in trouble. She pleaded for medical help. Sensing the urgency in her…
By Siddharth Pandey Naman Nath (name changed) spent the last decade of his life sitting on a couch in his room. His children would beg him, implore him to come out of his room. But Naman would only smile and go back to watching TV. It was not that Naman was always like this. He…
By Mitali Annigeri “What I miss dearly are my old friends who have all passed away,” says Dr. B V Joshi, his words echoing the bittersweet reality of aging, where cherished companions become cherished memories. Dr Joshi, who is 81 now, says he is no longer interested in making new friends. “I don’t mind talking…
By Sakshi Kulkarni Meet my grandmother, Ms Lata Kulkarni, a kind-hearted soul in her mid-sixties, whose world was turned upside down by the sudden loss of her son, Anand. It’s been a year and a half since that fateful day when our family’s joy turned to sorrow, but my grandmother’s unwavering love and resilience have…
By Ananya Katti We are all busy finding the purpose of our lives, but somewhere in the process we may be losing ourselves. Our hectic lifestyle is affecting our physical and mental health. How do we find a balance? Mr Vijendra Hungund and Ms Laxmi Hungund, a Kolhapur couple in their 70s, have three mantras…
By Anjali B.S. “I may have grown old, but I am still young at heart. I want to travel and see new places. But my family does not let me go out alone,” laments -75-year-old Devaki Amma (not real name), who lives with her daughter’s family in a Kerala village. Devaki Amma lost her husband…
By Siddharth Pandey Kishan Singh lives a simple life in the heart of Delhi. He gets up early – around sunrise. He bathes with cold water, though his son advises against it. He has his first cup of tea and a simple breakfast with his wife. On Saturdays, he stops by the temple before going…
By Aavesh Anand I live in an apartment complex where over 10% of the population is retired. You get to see the same old faces every morning when you go out for a morning walk. They look tired and worn out. Some of them even look haggard as if retirement has taken away their desire…