Old is Gold : Make Yourself Useful Part 2 !

Since childhood, I have heard and watched apathy towards senior citizens. Sitting in forlorn benches in empty parks, culverts or stopover bus stands, either alone or in pairs, watching activities around with almost blank eyes, they present a pitiable vision. Since childhood, I used to imagine my old age in a similar scenario. It used to give me shudders. Perhaps, from then on, I was harnessing myself with odds and means that would keep me useful at the other side of the age. Did I succeed? Let us share and exchange notes.

My separation from the employer of 33 year standing was nearing to an end. It had been customary to start packing up when there were only six months left. That included getting no further fresh assignments, handing over of files and inventory, readying papers for separation benefits and insurance etc., and enjoying the last days by adhering to official work schedule of 8 hours without overstaying or over-stressing. This included no promotion even if a promotion was due. But then, we had to manage a parliamentary affairs committees’ visit due within 30 days to appraise the safety, fire fighting and environment management status of the PSU that was the Heavy Engineering Corporation. I was the Corporate Chief.

Everybody was nervous since such committees were a nasty nuisance. The visit came off to our satisfaction. The Chairman commented in my annual appraisal-“He is a useful person.” This was a new and strange quip for me as well as my other colleague technocrats. My colleagues made fun of it. Appraisal of others contained far more words and sentences. I got only this much to ponder about.

The bombshell fell when I was found promoted in a list of only 14% promotees. This has never happened that too involving a non-productive discipline. Everybody started consulting dictionaries including me. At that time in 2003, we could get the Oxford dictionary which wrote the meaning of USEFUL -“Able to be used for a practical purpose or in several ways: such as aspirin is useful for headaches “. This did not help.

Soon after I retired. I was searching for ways and means to fill the gaping void. I began with researching upon that important word. I saw the best and most superlative meanings in the Collins. It was-“advantageous, all-purpose, beneficial, effective, fruitful, general-purpose, helpful, practical, profitable, salutary, serviceable, valuable and worthwhile.” I was dazed. The Chairman was a man of few words. But nobody ever thought of him to be so precise.

This impetus was going to change the way I was looking towards my other side of the age. I was to keep myself busy.

In my childhood, my father branded me as uncle Podger. I indulged in everything that came in my sight, right from hanging a picture to repairing a radio, most of the time getting bad results. But I never felt defeated. When I was of my own, this habit of “jack of all arts” accentuated. Like a spider, I tried my finesse at everything before assigning the spoil to the right technician. With time, I became somewhat of an expert in most of the affairs of life. Perhaps, this trait brought the above judgment. Perhaps this property kept me optimistic. Surely, I began to love my old age.

The biggest advantage that I have is that I am able to keep myself busy and hence insulated from the devil hacking my brain. I can diversify a lot.

I love keeping myself informed. The media, the books and other textual prints presents a galaxy of choice. I enjoy both fictions and non-fictions but the best sellers lure. I am attracted more towards English, Hindi and Bangla literature in the order written. I do not refrain from prose and numbers in other languages indigenous or foreign provided I get their translation in Hindi or English. These days, I go to the bottom of a story by comparing notes with the internet, film media, textual prints, audio books and vice versa. Recently, I was able to understand the meaning implicit in feature films like “ The Story of Everything”, "The Birdman",“The Snows of Kilimanjaro”, “Ada”, “Roshomon(Japanese)” , of course, the Bangla masterpieces of Satyajit Ray and last but not the least recently released Bangla film “ Jatishwar”. This film introduced me to Ian Stevenson who performed extensive research on reincarnation; that led to reincarnation sample Lugdi Devi/Shanti Devi; that interested Mahatma Gnadhi ; and particularly to the famous Portugese Anthony Firangee ( Hansmann Antony) turning into a Bangali genius. I read “To Kill a Mocking Bird” and “Pather Panchali (Bangla)” and later saw the motion pictures to my utter satisfaction and pleasure. These days, I am immersed in Tagore’s Gitanjali through English translation by the author himself. I have downloaded “The Wings of Fire” by the great Bharat Ratna Mr. APJ Abdul Kalam for future reading in depth along with his “The Ignited Minds”.

I get intoxicated while writing blogs and for electronic magazines such as Ezine, Hub pages and the likes. My blogs again touch a mosaic of disciplines. I dwell in spiritual, political, informative, technical, essays and fictions but what is to my heart are the memoirs that were interesting as well as shocking with flair of adventurism and icing of idealism to convey and conclude.

Cookery is my trump card. This is my stress buster. At the outset, I cook to relieve pressure from routine kitchen workers in my household or anywhere. I cook to get appreciation from people. This past-time includes every aspect related to food such as procurement of raw materials to washing utensils.

Like a child I love to explore in what comes in my way. Therefore, children become my good friends. Friends are the lifeline of a life. We resonate very well to the delight as well as a few annoyances of others.

At the end of a day, most of the times, I find myself short of time. That is because I love the infinite of which I am but a tiny partner.

I love with loyalty and integrity as riders. I always rear to draw distant to near, near to nearer and nearer to the nearest. I trust that without these features love loses its meaning. That is way forward from materialism to spiritualism, from duality to non-duality, to finally become integrated with the mother nature.

Mother nature overwhelmes me. I worship her, besides every known gesture, by publicly sharing what I behold through the eyes of camera. For example, my beholding of the sunsets get inspiration from the famous Tagore quote- "Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." This indulgence seals tight any leakage in the time baloon.

I am confidently conceited that I am welcome in most of the places I reside, either with my children for a considerable period or with others for the shortest most period. I am anxiously awaited at the park bench where senior citizens get together for a respite after a healthful walk. Only few days back, my gainfully employed daughter insisted me to extend my stay for a few months more.

I wish everybody of you to succeed and enjoy your bonus period to the fullest. There are a few fortunate who see their old age.
Prove that old has always been gold and would remain so for ever.
Now celebrate your stay on this holy earth as a guest of mother nature !

Old Is Gold: Make Yourself Useful

After I drifted  into the other side of age, I have added a compulsory morning walk to my daily schedule. It provides me with much needed fresh air, exercise and some sun. It also lays before me some glimpses that I had never encountered before.  Every morning, I see a different Sun rising in an equally magnificent horizon. I hear enchanting voices of birds. The flowers feel better in exhaling various shades of fragrances.  I see persons  older and frailer than me enjoying their health walk and discussing whatnots.

One morning, on my way back, I found two elderly persons exchanging notes. One was asking the other about his stay and experience in the States. The other elderly seemed to have returned back to his native place after months.  The reply appalled me. The gentleman was complaining that he had been treated as a servant by his son and daughter in law. He said that he was forced to look after the laundry. He had to babysit which included nappy change. He was persuaded to undertake routine errands to the local market. The sad narration went on until it faded due to lengthening distance between us.  

The first thought that came to my mind was that the whining old man did not love anybody but himself. He was one of the same kind as myself; a common man. He must have led a life similar to me. He must have good and bad experience of life in equal measure.

Right from when we were born, we are either compromising or surrendering to the state of affairs. The universal law is that no one can move on a frictionless surface. Atmospheric air pressure from all the sides is necessary to keep one erect. The universe has originated from imperfection. The synonym of perfection might be the God divine himself.

First ten years, we are at the mercy of our parents and guardians who generally take good care. After that it is either the teachers or the bullying lad in the neighborhood. Thereafter, we become servants of the employer always adhering to the principle that the boss is always right. We shall ever remain  a servant of the nature as it controls everything including the air that we breathe.

We take care and bring up our children to the best of our ability. Children are our showcase. Remember how we coax our tiny tots to sing nursery rhymes before the guests. We never blinked when it came to nappy changing etc.

It is a fact that persons feel at a loss when they are relieved from routine gainful employment. It is a fact that aged persons need their near and dear to tend them when such need arises. It is true that there is a generation gap. It is also a truth that nobody stops such an old man to remain a useful person.

If nappy change distresses a grandparent then he must wait for the day when their children or an entirely unknown nurse in the intensive care unit would do the same for him.

I remember that most of the time my teenage children neglected home made food and went for fast food at the corner. Now, should not we be pleased to find that they tend to like food prepared by their parents after they come tired from their work place like sailors from a high sea.

An old man is left with a bundle of newspapers  and an idiot box for the entire day after the young ones leave for their routine schedule. Would it not be great and refreshing to take care of the laundry caressingly? If you are lucky then there could be flower pots or the entire garden to tend to.

Here is an opportunity to exhibit your culinary expertise you always craved for. Begin with salad dressing and reach to the delightful heights of kebabs and Biryani. You could avail all the assistance from hundreds of websites. And yes, be computer savvy. It would open up a vast infinite world of knowledge and information before you.

I spent six months in Australia with my daughter and son in law. One day, my son in law opened the lunch box in his workplace cabin. The aroma of chicken Biryani sucked in his colleagues in an instant. All had a taste of it. They did not stop at that. They poured down to our home the subsequent weekend to have a stomach full with thorough washings in between. I shall savor that day forever.

You have been always craving for the true love and affection that you perhaps received when you were in the cradle. Those days have come again. I did not comprehend why my grandchildren love me very much until I read somewhere that they are more attached to those who attend to their nappy (distress) call.  

The confluence of three generations that is yesterday, today  and tomorrow is what this life is about. They are made for each other. Remove any one of them and there would be a void,  a big black hole.

Life is beautiful. You are useful until you rest in peace.