Today is Rakshabandhan , a festival of love & bond between a brother & sister. I will not forget this year's festival forever in my life ,as I made new sisters who are living an isolated & dejected life all alone with none of their close relatives by their side.
We started off from the college early in the morning, for 'MATO SHRI', the old age home in the KHADVALI around 75Kms from Mumbai. Khadavali is a nice place with a fantabulous landscape.The river flows by in the foothills with clouds so nearby, breeze blows away the long grasses making you feel like as if you are in some remote countryside of England.The small lanes(pagdandiyan) which make way to the residential areas of Khadavali with small children riding their bicycles on clean roads gives an amazing look to the landscape.
Anyways, our purpose of going to MatoShri was to strengthen the bond between the Somaiya Social cell & the inmates of the Old Age home.The main purpose of our team was to celebrate RAKHI with them , so that they don't feel awkward & bad about their vagaries of life which they are suffering at the moment .We had taken some fruits & other gifts along with Rakhis that we thought we will tie them, & we reached there around noon which happened to be their lunch time.The chief caretaker of the facility,Mrs. Chadha introduced us to the inmates & explained the very purpose of celebrating the festival & she asked us to distribute the rakhis to the Lady Inmates so that they can tie them to their male counterparts.
We distributed the fruits that we had taken along with us while they were having their food.The inmates were so enthused & moved by our presence & gesture that they gave their blessings with open arms.The ladies were so happy that they even tied Rakhis to us & asked us if we would come next time as well. They got so happy & enthusiastic with our gestures that they sat with us,sang ,danced,cracked jokes,did some role plays. The overall experience was amazing.They then treated us like our children & served food & felt really good(seemingly).
I had a word with Mrs.Chadha about the history of the inmates & the institution,to which she explained that they are a govt. owned Old age home also supported by some philanthropists of Society, whose efforts are aimed at giving the old people the best that they can get.She also told that they try to convince the children to takecare about their parents (for new admissions) & even go to court of law if they don't find any genuine reason behind their decision to put their parents away from them.
But,in some cases the decision was of old people who actually want to stay away from their families & have none to take care of them .Rising trend of Nuclear Families is also one of the reasons which is driving the concept of OLD AGE Homes in Indian society.
Our team then went on to meet those inmates who are actually immobile & can not move ,most of them being very old who can hardly walk. You just sit /stand beside them for a moment & they will start narrating their story to you.It was as if a lava(accumulated over a period of time)coming out as they found a way out through our ears.One experience was really moving,this old lady was suffering from a bone disease due to which she is unable to do any work.She was ostracized by her daughter in law, who literally told her that she was not of any use of her & thus they can't sustain her stay with them.But, see the irony of the whole situation , she was still praising her children that they should remain happy & prosper wherever they are.
Then , finally we all made a move back to the college enjoying the scenic beauty on our way back to station ,empty handed but our hearts all ladened with praises & experiences & exposure to some of the bitter realities of life.
