It is dreadful and gives goosebumps to infer what might have gone through, the mind of Mrs. Sahani in her last few days while breathing her last . By hallucinating and trying to gauge her ordeal send shivers down the spine of any sane person's mind. The shear helplessness of an elderly, lonely lady confined to her home, where she had been reduced to become an unwilling security guard, is enough to understand the pitying condition of elderly personal like the deceased and many more like her in our society today. The senior citizens seems to have lost their voice and influence they once commanded in today’s transforming society . Indian society and culture we all are proud off and boast about, is decaying, the moral values are nonexistent and lethargy towards elderly is omnipresent . Look carefully and one can easily grasp the myth of happy united family . This is not something we should take lightly but is a scary scenario starring at our face.
As I have mentioned earlier, Mrs. Sahani's case isn't the first case or a secluded case, we should read the recent government reports, testifying to the rotten state of affairs in our society . With increasing westernization as well as economic opportunities available outside the cities of our parents , elderly are left to fend for themselves with no physical or emotional support in their our of need as youngsters leave for greener pastures . In this particular case, the elderly lady begged her son to register her in some old age home, a bare minimum, she can expect from him who was settled in USA , which was unfortunately denied or whatever maybe the truth we may never find out as the dead don’t speak. The news about decomposed body of Mrs. Sahani discovered almost three months later from the last phone call also points towards indifferent attitude of people in general .
We have often come across news about elderly people abandoned in fares(Kumbh mela is notorious), these illiterate people couldn’t return to their homes knowingly or otherwise, but such malice remains hidden in the hysteria of fares. The widow homes of Mathura presents a starker reality, that should force society to look deep within and comprehend some tough uncomfortable questions to itself . We read reports regularly about scores of country’s elderly people are forced to live a life of humiliation, abuses and isolation in their homes but no murmurs of justice to victims is ever heard . Such humanitarian issues are conveniently ignored and is a nonentity till ghastly case like Mrs. Sahani jolts ones consciousness. The murderous campaign of lonely elderly citizens of Delhi, that shook the nation made everyone took notice of the deteriorating crime conditions prevalent in major cities, towards safety and wellbeing of elderly with better literacy levels , one can just imagine about the humiliation and exploitation elderly have to contend with in illiterate and inhuman poverty conditions of hinterlands .
The case of a retired elderly judge being deprived of his home by his son, and almost, identical case of an industrialist in miserable condition after his retirement due to betrayal from his son, points towards a sick pattern of selfish, egocentric society, where parents howsoever rich and powerful in their heydays are confronting within their homes . The recent report by UN points towards the increasing elderly population in India which according to reports will treble by 2030(around 300 million) and hence the civil society should impress upon government to take immediate steps, to work for the needy and distressed senior citizens for their health , residential and other social issues plaguing them as our elderly deserve our respect and undivided attention. Laws should be formulated with senior citizens be provided with more attention, rights, psychological support with counseling if required and safeguards as they are one of the most vulnerable section of the society.
And finally to the unworthy son of the deceased Mrs. Sahani, what I wanted to say couldn’t be said in a civilized manner, and might actually pain the departed soul who silently endured all hardships. Some might argue my unnecessary intervention in a private family matter , unfortunately I don’t see this death as personal affair, in my opinion its murder by negligence with necessity to fix responsibility and being a part of society I find myself duty bound to speak against repression and injustice in all its kinds. The death of Mrs. Sahani should act as an eyeopener for any civilized society and lessons must be learnt to avoid such frightful instances to reoccur ever again . As for the children, the laws of Karma is non negotiable and is constant, you will repent and pay dearly for what you sow cause Karma spares no one .
