TAUGHT INDIA
77 year old Shirley Barret spent her entire life teaching children in a town in Jharkhand. She along with her husband started Modern English School in Jamshedpur with the aim of educating the young. The husband & wife duo came to Bangalore in the 1990's as her son got transferred as a welding inspector. In 1993 her husband succumbed to cancer and last year her son too expired, leaving her with no support system.
Her daughter-in-law moved away to live life separately saying that she was young and didn't want an added burden of an aging mother-in-law. Shirley found shelter under the roof of a generous couple Mr. and Mrs. Paschio who are extremely fond of her.
Shirley didn't want to be completely dependent on the hospitality of the Paschios and got herself enrolled into HelpAge's Sponsor - A - Grandparent programme which has made a tremendous difference in her life. It has given her a sense of independence and even though her granddaughter repeatedly insists that Shirley stay with her she doesn't want to be a burden on anyone. With her basic daily needs met under the project she doesn't anymore.
LED INDIA
86 year old Banshidhar Sharma of Seetaram Puri Basti in Jaipur (Rajasthan) spent his youth fighting for the nation. He is among those distinguished freedom fighters who led India to freedom from the British Raj, but like many others his efforts went unnoticed. The country moved on but life for Banshidhar was still a struggle. Today he survives on Govt. pension which isn't enough to meet his medical expenses. After India became a free nation he served the Congress Govt. for 62 years. Blessed by 3 grandchildren through his only son who is employed with the Govt. Banshidhar refuses to be a burden on his son and his family and looks for ways to sustain himself however tough the circumstances might be.
Suffering from a severe breathing problem and physical frailty at this stage of his life, he was in no condition to go to the nearest primary health care centre. So he turned to HelpAge India's Mobile Medicare Unit program for assistance.
A friend and co-helper now of the program Banshidhar today is different man in physical health and spirit, though disillusioned but looks forward to life. HelpAge hopes that it can reach out to many such elders who contributed so much to the nation and give them back something through it's services so they can lead comfortable lives in their later years.
FED INDIA
Nakhatrana village in Anjar block in Kachchh District (Gujarat) is home to the Sodha community who migrated enmasse from Pakistan after the 1971 war with India. They speak a mix of Sindhi and Gujarati, and observe different traditions and customs from the rest of Gujarat. They live in the arid part of the state, where plants like kikar and babool take away what little moisture there is out of the soil.
76 year old Sonaji Hiraji Sodha is among the village elders, a widower he would find himself all alone once the monsoon was over as his only son would leave to look for job opportunities elsewhere once the farming season was over, to sustain them through the rest of the year. Sonaji lost his only soure of livelihood when the devasting Gujarat earthquake of 2001 destroyed his home and cultivable land. The quake had severe repercussions for Sonaji & other villagers - there were cracks all over their land and the water level had dropped even further, making farming extremely difficult. He had to walk 2 kms everyday to get water from a nearby area.
