The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : It is SOFA so good

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Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

It is SOFA so good

Deepa Kurup

— Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

Making a difference: Members of SOFA at one of their meetings in Bangalore on Tuesday.

Bangalore: While Bollywood recently introduced the country to the concept of “Gandhigiri”, where ordinary citizens switch to proactive mode to solve their problems and work for the community, SOFA has been way ahead of its time.

SOFA is the witty acronym for Some Old Faces Association, a group of senior citizens with seven centenarians, who meet to share, discuss and act on issues that affect their lives.

This SOFA does not merely cushion your back, but provides companionship and support to members along with being socially conscientious and active in the public domain.

From speeding up road construction to getting pedestrian crossings painted, this association of senior citizens works round-the-clock, in different areas of the city to make sure that authorities do not get lackadaisical about their work. Its members range from 60-year-olds to 110-year-olds. While most are retired and spend their spare time working with the association,others such as the founder of SOFA, 70-year-old Natarajan K.S still work seven days a week.

Mr. Natarajan said, “This organisation is all about sharing and helping each other out. More importantly it is about giving us all a sense of purpose. Old age is not about helplessness but about taking your life into your own hands.”

From hosting free heart camps to music recitals at Chevalier Bhavan, a church with lush green lawns, also doubles as the meeting place for the SOFA “corner” at Harlur. There are other such corners in Bangalore, Madurai and even in the U.S. While it is easy to get caught up in the social action angle of their work, SOFA members benefit immensely from these interactions in several small but significant ways.

SOFAMESS, the newsletter, manages to keep track of members’ birthdays and sometimes doubles as a forum for members to find matrimonial alliances for their children.

G.N.S. Rau, who is part of the J.P. Nagar chapter of SOFA, said, “Our needs are basic in our old age. We did not complain but helped to facilitate the working of our local post office by talking to the authorities concerned.”

With his patient and positive attitude, Mr. Rau and his friends managed to upgrade and regularise the post office, organise a park for senior citizens to meet and provide support systems to several old persons.

SOFA provides a common platform for “like-minded individuals”, with sharing as one of the core values, as Mr. Natarajan puts it.

His zest for life is evident in the fact that at his age, he is working towards the goal of securing LIC policies worth Rs. 1 crore. Ask him what drives him, and pat comes the reply, “My granddaughter who I feel accountable to.”

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