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Twilight zone
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They have retired from top positions and their children are well settled. Now, they want to sit back and unwind
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"MY HAIR has turned grey, my skin has started shrivelling and my joints ache" - words of angst from a senior citizen ten years ago. If you thought new-age sexagenarians would spout the same lines, think again. Ageing gracefully has arrived, and how!
When exactly does someone change from being a "person" to an "old person"? It's when the affluent have their facial skin pulled back to improve their looks. Though they staunchly seem to believe in Bernard Baruch's `Rule for Determining Old Age' that "Old age is always 15 years older than I am," some of them try to use anti-wrinkle creams and hair dyes. Others meekly submit to the ageing process rather than valiantly battle on.
But does age snuff out the fire? It all depends on one's passion for life. Just look around. Tinseldom will give you examples of people racing despite age. Bollywood veteran Dev Anand, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday, is still bubbling with enviable energy. And, is game enough to don the lead role in his movies. He scripts, directs, acts and edits his productions. And, the inimitable Big `B', who, in his second innings, is the busiest actor in Bollywood.
People are looking at a continuing engagement with life as an important part of "successful ageing."
Take 75-year-old M. A. Ramaswamy. The sprightly old man is being truthful when he says: "I don't think I'm old." Wife in tow, he tries to never miss his daily walk.
"I don't worry about tomorrow, and am happy to be independent," he says.
Bhavna Rani, a retired Government servant, took to learning vaastu shastra and astrology when she was 51. "I don't fear old age. Astrology has always interested me and I have enough time to practise now," she adds.
Those who stay connected with people or pursue hobbies or professional interests, seem to have an easier time dealing with the limitations that are brought on by age. "Growing older gracefully is about accepting that you are physically not as able as you were when younger; it has nothing to do with giving up interests or withdrawing from life," says Teresa, a retired college professor, who is now a visiting faculty member.
For K. Shanthi, a soft embrace and a kind word from the children make all the difference. "She is one among us, fun-loving and lively," says Akshaya, her granddaughter.
And the feeling that like accidents and death, ageing is something that happens only to others, perks them up.
Consider this: Shanthi never imagined that the balding, grey-haired and pot-bellied dentist with a double chin and furrowed forehead whom she met last week was her classmate in high school. But her classmate stumped her with his response: "Madam, what subject did you teach us?"
K.JESHI
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