Tag Archives: Old Age

Old Engagement!

Posted on by
Reply

One thing which has happened in recent past is that: 

Socializing and meeting people one on one has become quite difficult, 

Especially for senior citizens and people in their old age, 

One welcoming step from their end is that,

Many have learnt the art of interacting on social media platforms, 

And

Are even creating wonderful content.  

Considering that many don’t have hobbies of sorts like reading etc., 

and

Considering that there is not much for them to look forward to e.g. waiting for their children to visit them, 

This incredible phenomena and innovation termed social media, 

Is saving many from getting depressed and in turn saving lives, 

In turn reinforcing the point that:

Nothing is good or bad in itself, 

Just a matter of how it’s utilized. 

So is the case with social media platforms, 

Which might just be saving people from getting into depression in these challenging times. 

Source for the Image: https://www.goodreturns.in/personal-finance/spending/2018/07/various-benefits-senior-citizens-india-save-money-728569.html, https://www.onlymyhealth.com/healthcare-advice-for-senior-citizens-amid-the-covid-19-outbreak-1586249777

Advertisement

ज़िन्दगी: तो मैंने भी जी ही ली है!

Posted on by
Reply

Happens not so often when someone or some incident tends to stick with you, to the extent of feeling the urge to write about the same.

And one such took place yesterday.

As I was about to cross a road on one of the signals, this gentleman with a beedi in his lips, held my hand, as if seeking some form of support.

On turning around, I noticed, this gentleman, who looked to be in his 60s, wearing a uniform, which you tend to identify with a watchman or a security guard.

The first thing, courtesy the nature of the mischievous mind, that popped up, made me wonder where this guard would be working and was the asset he was supposed to secure in safe hands.

On second, I realized that he wanted my help to cross the road. As we walked hand-in-hand, crossing probably the toughest obstacle of his life, at one of the most traffic-laden signals, his puffing the beedi and trying to breathe couldn’t go away unnoticed.

As we reached our final destination, he finally spoke:

“साहब, आप सोच रहे होंगे, कि ये बूढा सिक्योरिटी गार्ड क्या किसी को सिक्योरिटी देगा?” as if he had read my mind, he continued:

“साहब, क्या  बताऊँ, आर्मी में था, रिटायर होने के बाद सिक्योरिटी गार्ड बन गया. एक वक़्त था, जब हम साहब लोगों को गोलियों से बचाते थे, अब तो रोड क्रॉस करने में भी मदद की ज़रुरत पड़ती है.” as if he had found his much wanted ear to listen to all that he had preserved for long somewhere deep inside his heart.

“साहब सोचा था, आर्मी में आ गए तो बस ज़िन्दगी सुधर गयी, मुझे क्या मालूम था, कि ये दिन देखने पड़ेंगे. खैर, धन्यवाद आपका, ईश्वर आपको खुश रक्खे. बाकी ये सब तो चलता रहेगा, आखिर ज़िन्दगी तो मैंने भी जी ही ली है.” and then he continued, on his apparently, lonesome journey.

Somehow, the last line, struck a chord somewhere, “ज़िन्दगी: तो मैंने भी जी ही ली है!”

What we think will happen, doesn’t always happen our way, for it was so, then we might as well become the source of creation.

images

And even if its possible, am sure, it must require lot of hard work and striving to reach a stage, where the last line changes to, “ज़िन्दगी तो मैंने ही जी है!”

The journey from life leading you to you leading your life; from someone controlling you to gaining control over your mind, body and emotions; from you being a sorry figure to you enjoying each and every moment of your life; from you being the dependent one to becoming the dependable one; wonder whether all this requires an art or a skill.

And even if it exists, how may one access the same?

Wonder, whether it might need a lifetime to figure the same out?

Wonder, whether this was what we were supposed to do?

Wonder whether this is what it is, to experience the life to the fullest?

Wonder, whether wandering wild in the search of any such thing, makes sense?

Wonder, whether the sense itself was non-sense? 😉

But the very thought of moving from “ज़िन्दगी: तो मैंने भी जी ही ली है!” to “ज़िन्दगी: तो मैंने ही जी है!” is an incentive big enough to at least give a shot to try certain things along with your regular chores, isn’t it? 🙂

Source for the Image: http://hd-wall-papers.com/wallpapers/life-images.html

Thank you माँ !

Posted on by
2

कहते हैं कि एक माँ ही अपने बच्चे को खुद से ज्यादा प्यार कर पाती है और दुनिया में ऐसा कोई और रिश्ता नहीं जो ऐसा प्यार कर सके भले ही वो एक प्रेमी का अपनी प्रेमिका के लिए हो या फिर एक पिता का अपने बच्चों के लिए.

जब हम छोटे होते हैं तो माँ ही हमारे पीछे भाग भाग कर हमें खाना खिलाती है. हमारी सारी उलटी सीधी फर्मायेशों को पूरा करने का हर प्रयास करती है. हमें चोट लगती है तो सबसे ज्यादा दर्द माँ को ही होता है. हमारी तबियत खराब होती है तो माँ ही रात रात भर जाग कर हमारे पास बैठी रहती है.

माँ ही बिना कुछ कहे हमारे मन की सारी बातें एक पल में समझ जाती है. पूरी निष्ठां और पूरे समर्पण से माँ हमारे लिए वो सब कर जाती है जो एक आम मनुष्य करने की सोच भी नहीं सकता और अगर सोच भी ले तो उसको पूरा नहीं कर सकता.

बहुत से मनोवैज्ञानिक कहते हैं कि ये सब करना हमारे समाज में सम्मान पाने का माओं के लिए एक साधन है. अगर वो ऐसा ना करें तो उन्हें इस समाज में प्रतिष्ठा और इज्जत नहीं मिलेगी जितना उन्हें ये सब कर के मिलती है.

पहले तो मैं ऐसे तर्क से इत्तेफाक नहीं रखता और एक पल को मान भी लें कि ये मनोवैज्ञानिक सच कह रहे हैं तो भी ऐसा कर पाना इतना कठिन है कि इसके पीछे कोई भी कारण हो वो सम्मानजनक और पूजनीय ही हो सकता है.

इसलिए जब भी हमारे मन में अपनी माँ के प्रति ऐसा कोई भाव आये या हमें ऐसा लगे कि हम आत्मनिर्भर हैं तो हमें यही सोच लेना चाहिए कि आज जो कुछ भी हम हैं वो सिर्फ और सिर्फ अपनी माँ की वजह से ही हैं.

कहते हैं जो वास्तु हमें बहुत आसानी से प्राप्त हो जाती है उसकी हमें क़द्र नहीं होती. माँ हमारे जीवन में एक ऐसी महत्त्वपूर्ण इंसान हैं, जिनके बिना हमारा कुछ कर पाना तो दूर की बात, अगर वो नहीं होती तो हम सांस भी नहीं ले पा रहे होते.

हाँ ये बात अलग है कि एक माँ कभी भी अपने बच्चों पे एहसान या हक़ नहीं जमाती ये कह के कि मैंने तुम्हारे लिए कितना किया. इसीलिए शायद कभी कभी हमारे अंदर का इंसान अपनी इंसानियत भूल जाता है.

और हम उसी माँ के बुढ़ापे का सहारा बन्ने के बजाये उसे ऐसे मौके पे अकेला छोड़ के अपने निजी सपनो को पूरा करने में लग जाते हैं. हम ये भूल जाते हैं कि हमारे उन्ही सपनो का निर्माण हमारी माँ ने ही किया था. और अगर वो ऐसा नहीं करती तो न हम होते और न हमारे ये सपने.

मुझे नहीं पता कि भगवान् हैं या नहीं. मुझे नहीं पता कि हम इस ज़िन्दगी को जीने के पश्चात किस रूप में कहाँ और क्या कर रहे होंगे. मुझे नहीं पता कि हम फिर से मनुष्य योनी में जन्म लेंगे या नहीं. मुझे नहीं पता कि इस संसार में आने का क्या लक्ष्य है.mother-child

पर मुझे ये ज़रूर पता है कि हमें अपने माता पिता का पूरी श्रधा और पूरे सम्मान और आदर के साथ ख्याल रखना चाहिए, केवल इसलिए नहीं कि उन्होंने हमारे लिए ये सब किया पर इसलिए भी क्योंकि उन्ही से हमारा अस्तित्व है और उन्ही से हमारी सफलता या असफलता.

After reading what I have just written some would be compelled to believe that today is the mother’s day. But even if it is not, I believe there is not a single day that goes by when you
cannot but thank your mother for whatever she has done for you and continues to do so without any expectation what so ever.

Such great and high is her stature that nothing else in the World can match up to the dedication and sincerity that a mother has for her kid. Even a father cannot replicate the same kind of love and affection that a mother has for her child.

That’s why it is said, एक माँ का स्थान इश्वर से भी ऊचा होता है. Today, through thishumble post of mine, I want to give a tribute to all the mothers out there who toil in selflessly day-in-day-out just to make sure that their kids and family get all the happiness in this
World.

Source for Image: http://acelebrationofwomen.org/2013/05/on-mothers-day-its-you-and-me-against-the-world-may-12/

The Last Phase

Posted on by
Reply

TV serials can sometimes be quite inspirational when it comes to writing. Yesterday, I was watching one such serial, courtesy my dear mom 🙂 , in which the kids don’t really appreciate taking the responsibility of their parents and want to part ways from them by hook or crook.

This made me wonder as to what is the kind of thought process that a person has at such an age. What is it that he or she might desire during this last phase of his/her life? What is it that can keep them happy during the twilight days of their life? What emotional trauma they go through when their own children treat them as a burden and don’t want to take care of their own parents?

How often do we find cases where children become so selfish that they find it convenient ignoring the same people who gave their lives just to see their kids happy and becoming successful.

How is it that people can ignore what their parents have done for them? How can they ignore the sleepless nights that their parents have had when they had fallen sick? How can they ignore the compromises that their parents made in order to fulfill a wish that they might have expressed?

It leaves me in utter disgust when I see people such as the above. More than being disgust, I am amazed as to how a person can so easily forget the wonderful times they have spent in the protective and cosy environment provided by their parents.

Amongst the parents who are deserted by their children, some are able to take care of themselves based on the wealth they have accumulated during their professional life. But there are some who have not been successful enough to have the means to sustain themselves during their old age.

The latter end up being in old age homes provided by our government and a few NGOs, some of which are in a pathetic state due to lack of funds in some cases and more due to the utter negligence on part of the authorities.

This brings us to a point where we can put three fold questions:

1st to the children: “How can you ignore the love and affection that was showered on to you during your growing up years?”

2nd to our government: “How can you ignore the various contributions made by the same people when they were young and who contributed towards country’s GDP?”

3rd to our society: “Is this the kind of social set up that one wishes to see and maintain for thegenerations to come and is this the kind of norms and values that one wishes to pass on to the next generation?”

The questions such as the above still remain unanswered. What matters most though is that people should realize that they need to: hold the hands of the people in their last phase of life who held their hands when they could barely walk.

Source for Image: http://www.merinews.com/article/old-age-homes-bane-or-boon-/157222.shtml; http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050331/asp/calcutta/story_4553153.asp