Harsha Sarma
(The writer can be reached at harshasarma183@gmail.com)
“The elderly are the torchbearers of tradition; let us respect and honour them.”
— Anonymous
Senior citizens usually refer to people over the age of sixty. According to a survey by the United Nations, about 150 million people in India are currently in their 60s or older. The number of people is said to be around 23 crore by 2036, and this number will be around 35 crore by 2050. Most of the employees retire at the age of sixty, and people who do other jobs also feel lethargic at this age. After sixty years of life, everyone acquires a minimal experience of life. A person sees many ups and downs in life at this age. People whose eyes and ears are open experience many social, political, educational, cultural, and technological changes during this time. There is also a hint of the behaviour of people who are changing rapidly. By gaining experience, senior citizens can show the right path to the upcoming generation by looking at the changes in the different aspects they have seen directly for the welfare of the people. It is said that happy people give more importance to giving than to taking. Senior citizens can’t be an exception.
Apart from protecting the traditions of his family, a senior citizen can do a lot to protect our cultural heritage. With the help of memories, he can try to introduce old customs, rituals, etc. to the new generation. The call to protect one’s culture without distorting it should be taught to juniors by taking the lead. They can take the lead on their own and organise cultural and religious festivals and arrange traditional dances and songs there. There, they can take on the reins of tradition by spreading the available knowledge and experiences of their lives to others. However, their traditional experience has to be taken to the next level with a scientific mindset. The new generation will benefit if they take the initiative to connect between the past and the present by publishing some information-based stories in the form of magazines, memoirs, or sovinoir. In today’s digital age, if they continue to try to portray the evolution of our culture in an unadulterated way through various media, our traditions will be saved.
If elders can be involved in any cultural event, then the stories, history, etc. emanating from their mouths will really inspire the new generation. If the proud history and traditions of their own nation are recorded by senior citizens and arranged for them to be propagated to all our generation, then nothing can be a greater contribution to their nation than this. Only if they develop the mentality of doing something good for their society will they contribute a lot to it. After retirement, senior citizens can create an atmosphere of mental satisfaction by producing traditional textiles, musical instruments, pictures, etc. at home.
At present, about 10 percent of India’s population is made up of senior citizens. Although they are small in number, they are full of different experiences. It will be of great benefit to us if their human values can be channelized into the work of society. Even if they are physically and mentally a little lazy, they can stand as poles for us. As the time spent in life is at their fingertips, they can measure the contours of past and present times with a series of changes. It can motivate the new generation to take the good by calculating the good and the bad.
Today, senior citizens are sidelined in most cases. In some places, some of them are felicitated with ‘gamosa’ and ‘sharai’ at the festival, though their experience is not utilized. Care is not taken to realize their needs. Many start thinking of their ideas as idle money. Amongst the growing number of senior citizens whose knowledge base is strong, whose bodies are supportive of social work, and whose thinking may be an asset that can be utilised for society with a positive outlook, the generation will create an atmosphere of healthy tradition. Our social organisations as well as the government will have to take some steps to keep their minds, brains, and bodies healthy. It is the duty of all of us to ensure that they can take a walk in a beautiful environment in the morning so that they get a smooth transport system and can have peace of mind freely in a place that is kept open to the public.
Former Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu once advocated the use of the word “senior” in place of the word “old” in a meeting. He expressed that there should be no “old age home” in India. He said he would be satisfied only by replacing the old age home as a “house of elders and seniors.” This is because elders are our guiding light. They are conscious members of society. We can draw inspiration from their experiences by giving them due respect. They have constructed a path for us through their hard work and selfless interest in building society.
It is the responsibility of senior civil society to make our lost social practices, customs, and cultural traditions familiar and popular among the new. In order to divert the attention of the new generation from the world of computer games or mobile games, our traditional sports need to be shown by senior citizens in every neighbourhood. Traditional sporting events will have to be held if required. Similarly, by organizing Bihu or other cultural workshops, our traditional culture has to be saved from the clutches of globalization.
If the senior citizens think of themselves as old-fashioned people, then the morph culture will destroy our traditional culture. Every senior citizen in good health should take the lead in any event in society and make every effort to protect the healthy cultural tradition. In this case, the juniors will also have to refrain from distorting their traditions. We have to continue our efforts to maintain our cultural heritage and tradition by taking advice from elders on everything. Note one thing: only if elders point out the wrong flaws in our traditional culture will the juniors be able to present our culture in the right direction. Today, many “senior citizens’ bodies” have emerged in an organised manner. While they have many personal problems, collectively they can set the precedent for a healthy tradition by working together to preserve the educational and cultural aspects of society as well as social order. When you give joy to other people, you get more joy in return.