Since times immemorial, Raksha-bandhan has been celebrated in India as a day when brothers take a vow to protect their sisters from all evils till their last breath; and rakhi is a symbol of that eternal vow. The history behind this ritual dates back to the Mughal era when famous Mughal emperor Humayun got a Rakhi from Rani Karnawatee of Chittor.
On this holy occasion, happiness is writ on the face of every brother and sister. To share this happiness, our team planned to spend a day with the inmates at the Old Age Home called Matoshree Vriddhashram locate at Khadavli in Thane district. The Vriddhashram is situated 1.5 km to the east of the railway station. The sylvan retreat for the 80 old people was really a treat to the eyes for all of us. But this charming-looking place had a sad story to tell. As the students’ team went in, they found out that the old people staying there were mostly those who were left and forgotten by their children. So when they saw us, their expressionless faces beamed up. They could feel that amidst the revelry going on outside, there was someone who remembered them.
We, the team of 11 students, visited the place on 16th August 2008. When we reached there, the chief caretaker of the home made a brief opening about the importance of the day and why we were there. Hearing that we wanted to spend the whole day with them, the old people were really happy. We had rakhis and fruits for all of them. The old women tied rakhis to all the men present there. After that, all those who were present there had their lunch which we served them. They tried to remember all our names and places we belonged to while we served them food. There were some elderly people who were either sick or very weak to come to the dining hall for their lunch so food had to be taken to their bedsides.
Post-lunch we all sat down for some fun and entertainment. Few of the old people sang songs for us, cracked jokes and had some funny skits to share. It continued with quoted verses by one among them followed by sher-o-shayari and even qawalis. Then, we visited the dormitories where they were housed. We chatted with them and in their feeble voices they shared their feelings. They talked about their pilgrimage to Vaishnodevi and for many it was their first flight ever. There were some who are interested in writing and some who spent time knitting and some enjoyed gardening. This is how they spend their lonely moments. 
Every day is the same for them but they told us “Don’t think we are sad here. We are much happier here than we would have been had we stayed with our children”. They have toiled all their lives to see their children happy and finally at the dusk of their lives, they are estranged by them. How hard it is to live such a neglected life when one needs to be supported and cared for! It was surely a day in our lives that we all will never forget.
On this holy occasion, happiness is writ on the face of every brother and sister. To share this happiness, our team planned to spend a day with the inmates at the Old Age Home called Matoshree Vriddhashram locate at Khadavli in Thane district. The Vriddhashram is situated 1.5 km to the east of the railway station. The sylvan retreat for the 80 old people was really a treat to the eyes for all of us. But this charming-looking place had a sad story to tell. As the students’ team went in, they found out that the old people staying there were mostly those who were left and forgotten by their children. So when they saw us, their expressionless faces beamed up. They could feel that amidst the revelry going on outside, there was someone who remembered them.
We, the team of 11 students, visited the place on 16th August 2008. When we reached there, the chief caretaker of the home made a brief opening about the importance of the day and why we were there. Hearing that we wanted to spend the whole day with them, the old people were really happy. We had rakhis and fruits for all of them. The old women tied rakhis to all the men present there. After that, all those who were present there had their lunch which we served them. They tried to remember all our names and places we belonged to while we served them food. There were some elderly people who were either sick or very weak to come to the dining hall for their lunch so food had to be taken to their bedsides.
Post-lunch we all sat down for some fun and entertainment. Few of the old people sang songs for us, cracked jokes and had some funny skits to share. It continued with quoted verses by one among them followed by sher-o-shayari and even qawalis. Then, we visited the dormitories where they were housed. We chatted with them and in their feeble voices they shared their feelings. They talked about their pilgrimage to Vaishnodevi and for many it was their first flight ever. There were some who are interested in writing and some who spent time knitting and some enjoyed gardening. This is how they spend their lonely moments. Every day is the same for them but they told us “Don’t think we are sad here. We are much happier here than we would have been had we stayed with our children”. They have toiled all their lives to see their children happy and finally at the dusk of their lives, they are estranged by them. How hard it is to live such a neglected life when one needs to be supported and cared for! It was surely a day in our lives that we all will never forget.
4 comments:
Really nice... Do let me know next time u visit any old age homes.. would like to join in.
Really it was heart touching experience. We group of 100 people visited this place on 19th dec, 2012. Hats off to these people.....
Thank you for this usefull information
Really helpful
dont forget to visit us Old age homes in thane
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