An age-old problem

‘Age cannot wither, nor custom stale her infinite variety,’ Bill said about Cleo in one of his plays. We say aye to that — as do our political worthies from George Fernandes to L.K. Advani.

‘Age cannot wither, nor custom stale her infinite variety,’ Bill said about Cleo in one of his plays. We say aye to that — as do our political worthies from George Fernandes to L.K. Advani. Does the thought of hanging up their boots ever occur to them? No. And rightly so.

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Too much fiddle faddle is made of this ‘youth quotient’. To us, the older the fiddle the better the tune. Yes, it may be a challenge to take to the political field with your dentures rattling around in your head and the old hip replacement setting off alarm bells in metal detectors. Yet, if the flesh is a little weak but the spirit is willing, let nothing get in the way.

We live in an ageist society given to the worship of callow youth. But age is almost all in the mind. Look at Advani, he would put the likes of His Chubbiness Varun Gandhi et al to shame with his weightlifting antics. Or take Sheila Dikshit who can still keep up a scorching pace leaving her younger opponents in her dust. So we say this election should not be only about youth connect but a gerontocratic celebration.