Spending a day with the 'silvers'

It was Mother’s Day. My car entered a gate and we (Gauri and I) were greeted by a very positive vibe as we entered a lane lined by a lovely garden. As we got down to this place, we were greeted by the Sister (caretaker). Her demeanour made the house a cozy place to be. She had that maternal warmth which made her ideal for the place we had come to celebrate Mother’s Day. We were at an old age home. As we entered, the senior citizens welcomed us, some with tear-filled eyes, thanking us for making that effort, especially when their own children had not bothered to visit them. We were speechless and there is no way I could describe what I felt then. They shared their daily routine with us, how they woke up early and prayed and then even sang the prayer for us. And then there was this old woman who was the ‘leader’ of the gang, who lit up the place with her presence. She was the ‘life’ of the home. She would do all her work with a smile we were told. She took us around to meet those who couldn’t come to the hall to meet us. We cut a cake with them and had the most memorable time of our lives with them. As we bid good bye to them, we promised ourselves to love and respect our elders and spend more time with them in the twilight of their life. We owe that to them! Disclaimer: the views expressed in this column are those of the author and TellyChakkar does not necessarily subscribe to the same.