Life – Vikasblog

My mother died in Oct 2012. This was after nearly 60 years of marriage with Baba. Theirs was a love marriage, in that era, a college romance!! So my father’s constant refrain daily was ” Why did Pramila leave me all alone?” “I cannot live without her”. Our words of solace went unheard. How does one explain the uncertainty & unfairness of life? After a couple of weeks, Baba created a different challenge for all his children. Individually he would accost his 3 daughters & my wife, his daughter-in-law , & me , his only son, with a constant ask “I want to move to an old age home”. He was living with my eldest sister who, with her husband, took great care of him. My sisters’ daughters & 4 grandchildren never let him feel lonely. Me & my wife would visit him at my sister’s place multiple times a week. Still, his demand was strident. ” I want to go to an old age home”.

We had a war council meeting! All 3 sisters, eldest brother-in-law, my wife & me. How do we convince Baba that what he asks for is just not on?? Having lived in large houses & enjoyed a good life (maybe not lavish, but never missing out anything) our worry was : how would he adjust in an Vruddhashram? Space would be limited at best or shared at worst: not at all how he had lived for 80+ years hitherto. Moreover Baba was hard of hearing, a hereditary problem for Shirodkars! So in a new place with strangers, how would he manage? Physical issues apart, the sheer social “stigma” of putting your parent in an old old age home. लोग क्या कहेंगे? With 4 children, all well off, capable of taking him into their house…how did Sr. Mr. Shirodkar end up in a old age home?? How cruel & ungrateful children!! after all that the parents did for them, brought them to this stage, & how they repay!!! Fie!!! किसी पर भरोसा नहीं कर सकते!!! ad infinitum.

But my father (after all, MY father) was adamant. so after multiple failed attempts of trying to convince him, it was decided that Padma, my eldest sister, & Vinita, my wife, would take Baba around to check out some old age homes to explore the feasibility of the राजहट …the royal unrelenting desire. Together they traversed Mumbai, Thane, Karjat, Wada, Lonavala, Kamshet, Talegaon, Dehu, Pune , Satara, Kolhapur & in between. Nothing appealed: Somewhere the facility was run down. Somewhere there was only shared acco. Somewhere food was pathetic. Elsewhere no dedicated support staff, which would be required as my father could not hear any bells or announcements. The search continued. As well as parallel efforts to convince Baba this was not a good idea. But the old man was firm. I want to go to an old age home was his strident call.

In retrospect, becoming wiser after the event, I realize our objections & efforts to convince him not to go were misdirected. In the interim period I have seen many senior couples openly discussing this option with their grown up children. Children are working/living abroad or stationed far away with their own challenges in being able to extricate themselves from their routine. So the oldies are left to fend for themselves or rely on family friends or distant relatives who happen to live in the same town. Progressively the ability of such tertiary contacts to support starts drying up; & we are back to square 1. In such cases it is common to hear about the seniors themselves deciding to check themselves in to Senior Assisted Living (modern euphemism for Old age homes).

The builders’ lobby are now seeing this as a growing market with discretionary income increasing both of the seniors & their children. Excellent facilities now dot all the holiday locations like Goa, Coimbatore, Coorg, Panchgani, Khandala & the like where the modern, well appointed alternatives for assisted living are coming up. These places boast of all the facilities one can dream of: Doctor on call, full time Nurses, Canteens which are more like restaurants, Heated swimming pools, Ambulance on call, Gym, Library, Laundry, House cleaning services, weekly shopping trips, tie up with hospitals, all indoor-game tables, Meditation halls etc. Most of these are located in pollution free environs & have on-roll professionally trained care-givers. The more luxurious the facility the lesser the guilt for the children earning in dollars; whose only constraint is giving time. Here is an option where you know your parent will be looked after well, possibly much more professionally & better than if they had to fend for themselves or worse be dependent on some distant relative/family friend.

The biggest USP these Vruddhashrams’ offer is companionship of like-minded, similar aged people who are travelling the same path & have common issues/problems. And the importance of this “sailing in same boat, & with similar experiences & issues” just cannot be underestimated. However much you love your parent, there is a “generation gap” separating you two. Possibly, at that stage, this gap gets exacerbated. Conversely in the old age home, the parent finds himself in like-minded, similarly placed “company” & that companionship is possibly his/her most important need, at that time. Possibly I will be accused of blasphemy but I venture to say the old parent may actually be happier in the old age home, transforming the Vruddhashram to an Anandashram, a happy home.

In these homes, there is space/privacy & yet there is companionship. Some of the other clear wins over traditional homes are: Safety & care, a sine qua non. Regular timely attention ensures no one forgets their medicine dosage. Periodic monitoring of diabetes and/or BP. Emergency medical help is available immediately when required which with the regular health check-ups helps better health management. A big mental safety net & support of like minded people which boosts confidence, as well as, the will to live. Many facilities run hobby centers encouraging craft & art. Besides creativity, this also supports networking & social interaction. Residents do not feel lonely or alienated, emphasizing positivity & good health, both mental as well as physical. Finally, in a curious twist, old age homes may give more control on their personal life to the golden oldies. They can truly experience individual freedom, sans responsibilities of cooking, cleaning, etc. All pedestrian needs are taken care of & they are free to participate in any social, religious or cultural activities of their choice. All this adds to the happiness index & consequently better health, mental & physical.

I am sure you have now understood why I call these as Anand Ashram rather than Vruddhashrams. I end with a plea. Pl learn from our experience & let us change our mindset around assisted living for seniors. We should encourage this option so that the seniors as well as the families can be happier: vikas

PS1 Baba died 6 weeks after Aai with the refrain of मी एकटा राहिलो (I am alone) on his lips. He had no physical ailment. Just gave up his will to live without his wife. Question which will dog me till I die: would he have been happier in an Anandashram?? & lived longer???

PS2 A close friend Nitin Charekar is actively associated with Ashtha Foundation, Aurangabad. This blog owes a lot to him

This French phrase means : It goes without saying. Night follows Day, ca va sans dire! A mother will always love her child: Es ist selbstverständlich! Time gone can never be recovered, ¡Por supuesto! True love can never be forgotten, बेशक ! Rules of arithmetic will remain the same, यकीनन !!

There shall always be a day and a night, until the world meets its end! We shall always hope to sleep, and wake up to see another day! Such is life! So very often, we do not worry about causality. We just careen from one event, one experience to another without thought, without analysis. We have forgotten, Life is a gift; each day is a chance to do better, to be better, learn as we go along & become more erudite, more skilled, more happy as we live. In the Quran, God says that he created Day and Night, for us to remember him and to thank him for his blessings. They are a continuous chance to correct our mistakes, to do more good deeds, to learn more, to teach more, to help this world thrive again. Unfortunately the stark reality is that: So many people have a life, but, few people are living. Really, & Actually Living.

As humans, we consider ourselves at the top of the evolutionary totem pole. According to Hindu mythology, after going through eighty four lakh yonis, one gets the birth of a human being. And the Hindus always consider, it is a privilege to be born in India as it is a “Dev Bhoomi” Whether we believe these popular myths or not, we must acknowledge the fact some direction setting, some spiritual goal is indeed a part of the Indian Experience. And we can see and feel that every Next Gen is smarter, more evolved, capable and skilled than the generations that preceded. But, Are we using that knowledge, the evolutionary smartness to be better, reach out, and make a difference? Judge for yourself!

Some things seem to be viewed in similar ways by many people, and I think we should take another look at these, and truly question them. In our search for our own truth we need to ensure that we are not acting like sheep, merely following herd behavior. Even when many go through a common experience, the way each person is affected by it, understands it, and learns from it is very often different. We have all experienced this. Some mental calibration is thus required regularly in order to get the most out of the life we are privileged to lead. Consider e.g. that things are often regarded as opposites, things like black and white, day and night, light and dark, are obvious examples. Is it so? Challenge it!!!

A more open view might say, they are opposite sides of one coin. I would go a little further and suggest to you that they are actually part of the same thing. Just as the coin cannot exist without its two sides, I would suggest that our world cannot exist without these so called opposites. “They give us a spectrum to exist in, a matrix, or framework, that stretches between the two extremes (or polarities) to include every variation of light and shade that we sense or experience in-between.” says Julia Woodman, in No Paradox – Living Both In and Outside of the Matrix.

Remember, Nothing changes if nothing changes. The night has taught me never to fear the dark times, by giving way to the dawn of a new day. My partner calls this the महा मंत्र of Life. Continuous Change is the only constant and so I must be in-charge of the changes around me. To get new outcomes we must do things differently. If we continue to do what we have always done, we will continue to get what we have always got. If I want new results, better outcomes, an enriched life, I must let go of my past ways and accept that I will do different things. Then only can I get different end results, reactions or payoffs. Ça va sans dire !!

Mehmet Murat ildan, Turkish author says it so well, “Did you have a sad day? Don’t worry, you have all the night to compensate for it! Did you have a sad night? Don’t worry, you have all the day to compensate for it!”. Look ahead. Take charge and move. जीत आपकी ही होगी.

Rhonda Byrne popularized this visualization and affirmation technique in The Secret. Why go that far, our own superhero SRK in Om Shanti Om avers,” कहते है के किसी चीज़ को दिल से चाहो, तो पूरी क़ायनात उसे तुमसे मिलाने की कोशिश में लग जाती है!” ¡Por supuesto! as our Spanish brethren say.

Ajay Ghogavale crooned so well in Redu movie. See what he sings while reassuring us देवाक काळजी रे

होणार होतला जाणार जातला
मागे तू फिरू नको
उगाच सांडून खऱ्याची संगत
खोट्याची धरू नको
येईल दिवस तुझा हि माणसा
जिगर सोडू नको
तुझ्या हाती आहे डाव सारा
इसर गजाल कालची रे
Transliteration: Whatever is to happen will happen. Do not turn back. Don’t leave the company of the good, and run behind the bad. Your day will certainly come, do not lose hope. The whole game is in your hands. Forget what happened yesterday.

To that extent our direction is set. Decide what you want. And with dedicated focus pursue it till it is yours. And to emphasize the learning, SRK reaffirms elsewhere in the same movie,” इतनी शिद्दत से मैंने तुम्हे पाने की कोशिश की है…की हर ज़र्रे ने मुझे तुमसे मिलाने कोशिश की है”. So decide your goals, clarify your expectations and bring a commitment and effort that drives you forward always. Remember the Madhavan advice in 3 Idiots: बच्चे काबिल बनो, काबिल.. कामयाबी तो साली झक मारके पीछे भागेगी!!

To end, I echo C. Joybell who says: “The dance between darkness and light will always remain— the stars and the moon will always need the darkness to be seen, the darkness will just not be worth having without the moon and the stars.”

Joyously accept both & enjoy your journey: Ça va sans dire, says vikas

देवाक काळजी रे
माझ्या देवाक काळजी रे