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A day for the old and wise
A day dedicated to the population considered feeble yet the wisest. A day for those who helped the youngsters grow and climb the ladders of success and never let go of our hands when we were naive and unaware of the dangers in the world. The UN has dedicated this day to the elders we grew up with.
Observed on 1st October
Wrinkled faces, grey hair, trembling hands gazing at you with wonder, trying their best to identify you often make us smile with a glint of worry when we see our eldest family member ageing. The human body is no less than a wonder experiencing changes with time. The silver strands and toothless laugh of our grandparents from time to time remind us, how the elder people have transformed into babies with great virtues.
Our lives might not pause but all of us cherish the times spent with our Grandparents and parents who are turning old and are away from us, while we leave our homes to embark on a new journey. Like the birds of new feathers taking their first flight leaving their nests behind.
It was the 14th of December in 1990 when the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to celebrate the 1st of every October as International Day of Older Persons. A day for the population which lived the past and is experiencing the present. This decision led to the observation and worldwide celebration of elderly people for the first time in 1991.
By 2030, the population above the age of 60 will be 16% of the total population. The surveys in urban settlements have indicated that the older population will reach a quarter of the urban population in developing countries like India.
The elders of our generation seem to have cocooned themselves in a separate circle of minimal interaction with the youngsters. With the rising number of NGOs and Old Age Homes, it is evident that the older people either choose to separate their ways of life or the younger generation of house migrates.
Turning a blind eye towards the significant population in the society we live in, one shouldn’t ignore the contribution and the needs of the older people around us. The United Nations emphasized that however feeble or economically unproductive the older population seems, they are the carriers of the traditions of the culture and are the live heritage a society possesses.
It is rather shameful that the heritage we possess is abused across many levels, is vulnerable to poverty and no security; the bodily vulnerabilities also come along with it which is natural to some extent.
The cultural similarity of this day is witnessed around the countries like Japan, Canada, and United States of America, and China which not only recognizes but celebrates the elder people. The United Nations every year with the marking of this day announces the theme of the year to dismantle preconceived notions and age-related barriers faced by older people in all walks of life.
The “Dadi-Nani ki kahaniya” culture in India is the literal display of the elders and their association to our rich past. Their monologues not only give us an insight into the past but also the transition they lived from Radio to the Internet. So, the next time you read up our stories, do recognize the inherent storytellers around you.
This was story was first published on This Day.app.
