Dr. Manoj Dash, Bhubaneswar, 1 October 2024
Globally, the 1st of October each year is observed as the International Day of Older Persons ever since the United Nations General Assembly decided to dedicate this day to celebrate the phenomenon of ageing on 14 December 1990. This was preceded by initiatives such as the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, which was adopted by the 1982 World Assembly on Ageing and endorsed by the UN General Assembly later that year. It was the first ever international instrument on ageing, guiding thinking and the formulation of policies and programmes on ageing.
The Vienna Plan made sixty-two recommendations for action in areas such as family; social welfare; health and nutrition; income security and employment; education; housing and environment; and protection of elderly consumers.
In the Indian context, we usually give more emphasis to family and social welfare because of our centuries old social and cultural practices. In the present day, it is the government or the State that control many of the activities that control or influence or regulate many activities in these two domains although the community or larger the family system also continue to play a significant role in these domains.
In spite of our glorious past, we have slid to a situation where the family values have nosedived and we thought it appropriate to enact laws (e.g., Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007; section 125 of erstwhile CrPC) and have prescribed punishment for violating provisions of the concerned legal instruments.
Manusmriti, also known as the Laws of Manu, contains guidelines and laws for how to live one’s life according to the Hindu tradition. I am quoting verse number 121 from Manusmriti, to explain why we as a society haven’t duly respected a social standard that was prescribed by the most authoritative Hindu code?
अभिवादनशीलस्य नित्यं वृद्धोपसेविनः।
(ଅଭିବାଦନଶୀଳସ୍ୟ ନିତ୍ୟଂ ବୃଦ୍ଧୋପସେବିନଃ)
चत्वारि तस्य वर्धन्ते आयुर्विद्या यशो बलम्॥
(ଚତ୍ୱାରି ତସ୍ୟ ବର୍ଦ୍ଧନ୍ତେ ଆୟୁର୍ ବିଦ୍ୟା ଯଶୋ ବଳମ)
If we translate this shloka into English, it would mean, “those who have assiduously formed their habit of regularly respecting and serving elders, four things – longevity, merit, fame and strength – would continue to grow in their lives.
When Manu had prescribed such a high standard for the Hindus, millions of us continue to neglect our parents in spite of the fact that whatever each one of us has become was initially seeded by our parents or at least by one of them.
This is happening clearly because of gradual change in social standards and it needs to be recognised by all of us. Instead of criticising or cursing such changes, we must prepare ourselves to face the adverse impacts in whatever form they come. The question naturally arises, how can this be effectively executed?
Elderly people face many difficulties that fall in the categories of income, housing, health, food, and loneliness. Except loneliness all other major difficulties can be alleviated or addressed fully or partially by the government or voluntary agencies that work on welfare of elderly persons. However, loneliness needs to be largely addressed by oneself in the ecosystem of a community or a village or a group of villages when the family or kinship system fails to provide necessary support.
The antidotes to loneliness is togetherness and happiness. Those who have necessary resources or have skills and are physically active, can get engaged in some hobby or vocation to keep themselves busy thereby deriving happiness from those activities (e.g. gardening, painting, writing, providing legal help to poor and underprivileged, etc.). Those who don’t have access to such higher order activities, can get connected with like-minded people in their own ecosystem through elder self-help groups (ESHGs) which are very easy to form and maintain. This will provide them the necessary collective strength to provide companionship to each other and they can build long-term relationships through the ESHGs which will fight loneliness too. The ESHGs can also act as a robust platform to channelize different kinds of government assistance for its members or for the group as a whole. If several ESHGs come together, it can also be a source of enormous strategic strength for all their elderly members. They can organise regular get-togethers, economic tours to nearby places and cultural events to maximise togetherness and happiness. These activities can be supported easily by the members themselves irrespective of any government or external support!
This specific recommendation is backed up by longitudinal research conducted across many geographies. The highlights of findings include: people with strong relationships live longer, and they’re happier and healthier too; stronger social relationships can have a positive impact on mental health, leading to better overall well-being, and potentially contributing to a longer life; strong social connections provide emotional support, reduce stress, and increase feelings of happiness and belonging, which in turn may have beneficial effects on physical health and promote a longer and healthier life; it turns out that what people miss most when they go past their working age or reach the end of their careers, is not the work itself, but their workplace relationships; the people who were happiest, who stayed healthiest as they grew old, and who lived the longest were the people who had the warmest connections with other people; people who are well socially connected also live longer than those who are isolated; taking care of one’s body is important, but tending to one’s relationships is a form of self-care too; and regardless of backgrounds, those with the strongest personal relationships were not only the happiest but also enjoyed the best overall health and lived longest.
Therefore, on this momentous day, as we stand on the crossroads of a gigantic demographic shift which will cause more and more of us becoming senior citizens at a faster rate than ever before, it would be prudent for all of us to embrace long-term relationships in neighbourhood groups which are beyond family and kinship. This would provide an enduring coping mechanism to all of us in the winter of our lives!
(The author is a Bhubaneswar-based policy researcher, social development practitioner and public narrative builder; Views expressed are personal.)
