That 6ft 2inch striking old man sitting on the bed, his face
almost concealed by his thick round glasses, was smiling and reviving all his
golden memories. He was talking to me, sharing his life’s history, as if I was
one of his peers. His old, wrinkled eyes still possessed the same sparkle that
they had in his early 30’s.His ears were longing to hear only the words, “Dad
lets go”. Desperate to meet his grandchildren, he wanted to love them, play
with them and even teach them from some his own experiences. But,
unfortunately, his fate had something else in store for him entirely. The love
of his grandchildren, respect from young ones and the love of his son and
daughter-in-law were some of the little things that he wanted. But, instead of
all this, he is ignored and treated as a burden above all else.
The old lady was looking outside through the window, lines
of wrinkles tracing her face and each line telling a story from her past.She,
just like everyone else, must have had some expectations regarding her old age
during her younger years. But, they were certainly unlike
her present. Not giving up all her hope, she still dreams of a silverline in
her life, when her son will take her away from that lonely place. In her lonely
world, considering me as a refreshing ray of sunshine, she handed me the
responsibility of convincing her son to meet her atleast once.
Another middle aged lady sitting in the corridor was
laughing every now and then and behaving peculiarly. She got hold of my hand,started
crying and begged me, “Please take me to my son. I don’t want to live here. I
won’t trouble my daughter-in-law. I just want to live with my grandchildren,
see them. Or else kill me; I don’t want a life like this.” With these words she
burst into tears. Feeling like a helpless person, I struggled through my tears.
I just wished I could do something, anything. But unfortunately, these things
are not in my hands.
Capturing a glimpse of such an unpleasant place, I returned,
with a lot of anticipation and many more unanswered questions haunting me every
now and then.Even today, when the face of that lady flashes across my thoughts,
it makes me feel helpless. The memory of the pain in her eyes gives me
goosebumps. I still wish I could have done something, something to bring back
the faded colors in her melancholy life.
More than 300 such people, each with a different story,
belonging to different classes, castes and natures, spend their hollow lives
with just one hope “getting back to their own kith and kin”. I wonder where our
youngsters are going.Do they just want to win the ultimate race of earning
money, forgetting everything else? Or are they just afraid of confronting their
responsibilities? What is it that is leading to such pitiful circumstances?
Is this why your parents made you capable of surviving in
this world, so that one day you could throw them out of their own home?
You claim that you
don’t have time and that you are a grown up with a very dignified position in
your office, living in a posh society (where old people are meant for old age
homes),having lots of work and no time to waste. Is your life so busy that you
can’t even take care of your own parents? What if they had done the same thing
with you in your young age? They were also as busy as you, with all sorts of
pressure. Did they ever leave any of your desires unfulfilled? No.
They worked day and night to cater to all your needs, and
this is what you pay them.Keep yourself in their position. Imagine how you
would feel if your child repeats the history?
Every relationship in this world is a give and take process
save that of a parent and child. Parents never expect anything from their
child. They always keep planning for the betterment of their child’s future.
They work hard for a better upbringing of their off springs. They feel elated
when you are happy, cry more than you when you are sad and sit by your side the
whole night when you are ill.
I wonder how parents
come to know about their child’s feelings. Citing my own personal experience,
many a times it has happened that I have been sad, or had had some problem and
my mother would call me and ask what the matter was, even though I would claim
that I was perfectly fine.I guess I’m not the only child who has experienced
this; almost all parent-child relations are same. I really wonder if there is
any higher power, or is it just love?How does this happen? We say there is
someone who is above us watching everyone. He is none other but the Almighty.
Whenever you are in trouble you pray to him. But there is someone holding more
priority than the Almighty, they are none other than your parents, who actually
stand by your side whenever you need them, loving you, caring for you,
dedicating their whole life for you. They strive hard to give you a better
life, always compromising their own needs to fulfill all your dreams. Parents
keep sacrificing things being unaware of how their child will treat them in
future.
Why can’t we take
some time from our busy life and give them the love they deserve? Why can’t we
spend some money from our salary to fulfill their needs? Think about the
enormous pleasure they will feel from these small steps taken by us. They don’t
need your bank balance; they just crave for love in that stage of their life. A
survey by ‘HelpAge India’, suggests that 31 % of India’s elderly population
faces some form of abuse in their advanced age.
Growing old is the eternal law of universe and no one can
escape from it. Then why are old people forsaken by their own friends and
families?
Forgetting the past, lets make a new start and weave a web
of love and compassion by sheltering our
elders and giving them the love they deserve.
Chetna Shahi
Editor at STIMULUS INDIA !
