(Bangalore, India)

 “It is said that the second blooming comes when you finish the life of the emotions and of personal relations and suddenly find - at the age of fifty, say - that a whole new life has opened before you, filled with things you can think about, study, or read about…It is as if a fresh sap of ideas and thoughts is rising in you”.

While there is nothing wrong with this definition, it remains somewhat incomplete. With all the talk about how “selfish” we are today, it is amazing to see how many people have real difficulty being able to receive. This is why we chose “SANDHYA KIRANA”.

Sandhya Kirana- Elder care with a difference!!

Sandhya Kirana is a joint initiative of the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (Bangalore City Corporation) and Nightingales Medical Trust. It is a day care centre meant exclusively to cater to elders belonging to low-income groups. They are provided with nursing care, nutritious midday meal, tea and also beds to rest. Periodic medical check ups, treatment for minor ailments, referral services, physiotherapy, yoga, health education and counseling are the services offered. All the services are free of cost. With the elders having limited resources or with no independent income, skill development and income generating programmes are an integral part of this initiative. Elders show much interest in making paper envelopes, candles, greeting cards and dolls. Access to television, books, cultural programmes, talks, picnics and outings cater to the varied needs of its members.  Everyday about 40 elders visit the centre and make use of the services. To create a safer environment for elders, the Elders Helpline has launched an Elders Police Hotline facility for senior citizens on the occasion of “World Elders Day” on 1st October 2005. This enables the elderly seek help from the police and neighbors in an emergency.

This GTT day, May 6, 2009, around 25 volunteers from Sabre, Bangalore, visited Sandhya Kirana, to mingle the past, present and future of the “layers of skin” and “grey hair”.

In fact the feeling of excitement, happiness, joy and sharing started when the 30 seater bus left from IPTB at 8am, with a plan of reaching the destination by 10am. Picking up volunteers from various points, we reached the destination at 9:30am. On arrival, we were greeted by the manager, Geeta Suresh and directed to a hall where the “Gods’ graffiti” were sitting in a seemingly chronological order of their age.

The day started with a message from an elder through a heart warming song which meant that “donations for charity become meaningless if we fail to take care of our own parents during their old age.” . The volunteers introduced themselves to the elders and within no time they all seemed to gelltogether in one big group.

Now it was time to begin the activities……

The first activity was “paper envelope making”. Volunteers and elders were divided in groups to work together.  We took more than 25 kilograms of old newspapers/magazines and prepared more than 1500 envelopes as against their daily count of 600-700 envelopes. Indeed a committed way to recycling the newspapers and magazines and reducing waste. Though we assumed that making paper envelope would be a difficult chore, we took no time in making many. Krishna showed quick and east steps in making envelopes in lesser time and we were happy to learn and adopt. So next time you are out of envelopes, you know whom to contact.  In fact it was a treat to the eyes to see many groups of elders and volunteers aiming to make most paper envelopes. It was fun for the team to learn about making paper envelopes and  prize for the group making the most number of envelopes drove the enthusiasm even higher.

Paper Envelope Making

Simultaneously, there were groups involved in making wax candles. The candle making supplies like paraffin wax and wicks were provided by Sabre. We were able to make 320 candles and all of them were bought by the volunteers. Three elders participated in the event by giving instructions and teaching the technique of candle making. Thereafter the volunteers joined hands with them and lo! what did we have, candles in various forms – tapered candles, floating candles as well pillar candles (poured into a mold and extracted, usually having a diameter of 2-3 inches. They are free standing with one or more wicks). Before this we just knew that candle is a combination of wax and wick.
Candle making was fun and a great experience as well as acquiring a new skill for many of us.

Candle Making

The activities were completed by late noon and it was time for lunch. The elders’ were provided lunch at the site.

looking at the interaction between volunteers and the elders which  personified the message of “Give Time Together”, we were convinced of a very engaging and satisfying day ahead of us. Language was no barrier for those volunteers who did not know the local dialect. Sign language led to cracking of jokes between them.

During refreshment time, volunteers served tea and snacks to the elders’. Usually they are asked to gather in a hall for refreshments, but today we served them at their work places. It was a great moment to watch all of them gather and eat together.

Post lunch was a fun and frolic time as we organized games like musical chairs and “antakshri” (singing competition). The participants, in age group of 60 years to 96 years, showed a lot of enthusiasm. It gave us an  insight into their multilinguistic ability. We never thought that  70year old (Chinnamma), who came second in musical chairs  could be so active.  As a participant in antakshri, her trembling hands did not stop her to grab the microphone.

Fun Activities- Musical Chairs and Antakshari

Well, the day was coming to an end and we had to leave.  It was a wonderful experience with the so-called “silver surfers” who shared their experiences.  Though they were all senior citizens by age, none of them looked so by their participation in the activities. Everyone looked so jovial and sportive in the competition and games. They were like old on the outside but young on the inside. Their enthusiasm matched that of youngsters. None of them showed any distress on their face that they might have gone through before joining Sandhya Kirana. . It was heartening to interact with the senior citizens at “Sandhya Kirana” and listen to their life’s experiences and tips for long life. Ninety six year old Antonymaa surprised us by her strength and faith and at her age was truly amazing. Listening to her spiritual connection with the Supreme Being above was truly a learning experience.

The grand finale to the days events was the prize distribution ceremony where all the winners of paper envelope making, candle making, musical chairs and antakshri were rewarded.

Prize Distribution

The most touching part was when the elders’ thanked and blessed all of us for spending our time and making it a memorable day for them. Their parting question with folded hands “When are you coming back again” is the indication of how they felt about us.

Old age is second childhood……when we are born, our parents take utmost care, concern and give us all their love. Just because they are old does not mean that they will have to give up everything and keep sacrificing. They have wishes, too.

Wouldn't you want to fulfill their wishes?

Check out the video of the event @Youtube. Click here

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