Promises - for the Senior Citizens

International Day of Older Persons (October 1) &

Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act.

On the day of the 'Older persons', our State Government had presented their deep concern over the older people. The state authorities highlight that the Demographic proportion of senior citizens in Kerala poses fresh challenges for the State. There are 31.5 Lakh Senior Citizens in the State.

Major issues here are : Majority are widows, poverty, gender inequality, and lack of security. Most serious being the “lack of family support”.

Here are a few proposals / offers by the Minister for Health and Social Welfare (Govt of Kerala) :

* Government had drawn up a plan to equip District Hospitals and Geriatirc Care Centres and separate out-patient counters for the Senior Citizens.

** These facilities would be extended to Taluk Hospitals and Medical College Hospitals in due course.

*** District level Tribunals would be set up to enforce MWP&SC Act.

**** Domestic Violence Act would be invoked to prevent atrocities against Senior Citizens.

***** A project to improve the infrastructural facilities in old age homes being workedout.

****** Free eye camps, surgery and spectacles; awareness camps for the inmates of the OldAge homes, would be organised.

******* The Social Security Mission, announced by the Govt, would take care of the needs of the elderly people also.

I am optimistic. Let's all pray for the good of all !

Being a Senior Citizen

I am not a senior citizen yet. But how come I am a member in a Senior Citizens’ Forum !
Thanks to ISCF, for honouring me ( I am still very young , you know !) with a membership in ISCF.
Oh .. let me tell you about ISCF.. It’s a Forum of Senior Citizens, retired from ISRO.
Yesterday, in its regular monthly meeting, about 40 persons attended. I too did attend.

The main attraction of attending this meeting is that one can meet their seniors (by age) and colleagues – otherwise no one takes effort to go and meet - and renew their relationships.
What I am now telling you is about my meeting yesterday with some OLD friends. I met many of my senior colleagues, Mr. N Velappan Nair, Mr. K V. Mathew, Mr. M K Bhaskaran Nair, among many others. Mr. P Radhjakrishnan, Dr. Manoranjan Rao, and many more .

Mr. NV Nair, my senior colleague, retired over 10 years ago, was a specialist in Russian Electronic and MET payload systems. He lives at Karamana, with his family. Quite happy life, I understand.
Mr. NV Nair is an important personality to me; because he has been the key person in realizing my cottage by Sri. Laurie Baker. For the first instance, when I approached Mr. Baker, he declined to take up my request. Later, Sri. NV Nair intervened, and with his influence, Sri. Baker was kind enough to take up my requirement of building a unique cottage, my dream home.

Mr. KV Mathew , an Electronics Engineer, specialist in Payload Electronics systems, is a very interesting and clever personality. He owes me some money ! He did not pay the full agreed amount of money, when he bought my scooter. That’s about 20 years ago !  One cannot forget KVM's smiling (laughing) face.

Mr. M K Bhaskaran Nair, now 75, is a very dynamic, positive and interesting personality. A very positive person, I remember I met him on 4 March, 1972, at his integration Lab ( of the erstwhile “STR” Division of SSTC). He is a spiritual person , with spirits in and out. I like him, I respect him. MKB is always happy; he cannot be unhappy anytime.

And there were many veterans.. the list is long.
May I wish all these good men , the best of health, wealth, peace, and HAPPINESS for ever.