How are Senior Citizens coping with Covid-imposed leisure?

How are Senior Citizens coping with Covid-imposed leisure?

(Dr P Vyasamoorthy)

Like other senior citizens I am also keeping myself engaged during lockdown in a number of ways. One of them is certainly to ring up a number of friends especially who are alone and single. I get interesting news & updates. ICRISAT Venkatesan, has found Viveka chudamani and Vivekananda’s lectures interesting. Another octogenarian Smt Sarojini, has taken up a course on Vedanta – called “Atma Vidya” conducted by a Swamiji. Sri Chary is onto a similar online course offered by Chinmayananda.  Smt Gowri Jayaram is a devotee of Sri Sachitananda Swamy of Dundigal – she keeps participating in morning Satsangh and prayers broadcast online every day. Mr Rajendra Rao passes time by helping out the management  in procuring essential things for the senior facility he is living in.  He is younger of the lot there and ventures to go out to help when feasible.  Sri Shankar Rao keeps busy identifying avenues to bridge donors and recipients.   Smt Kamakshi manages to be with herself satisfied with TV news, movies plus long chats over phone with her daughters abroad. Dr Vasunder Reddy is busy recuperating after a surgery. Dr Thomas and his wife are enjoying the calm, serene, noiseless surroundings of Ameerpet as all coaching centers and hostels are empty. Dr G Nageswara Rao, Vice President Aasara told how he is mobilizing funds for charity, how he is motivating seniors to be helpful during lockdown etc. He has been in touch with hundreds of seniors, making maximum use of staying at home.

Sri RN Mital and I had a long chat recently. He talked about AOSC organizing Zoom meetings, info he had gathered by talking to others etc. Having been associated with AOSC since inception, he has started writing the history of this association! He has also started watching birds from his balcony – He can now identify six birds, and recognize specific sounds of some. He says birds are good in communicating among themselves: one bird talks at a time and the other listens / waits for answering. While envying his sharp eyesight at 92, I marvel at his zeal and enthusiasm to celebrate life and living.  He also shared with me joyful days of his 15 days long trip by ship to England in the fifties. One Hussain and his wife were his table mates in the voyage; they were very helpful and they continued their friendship over letters for a long time. Happy recollections of the past are immensely satisfying.  I cannot imagine spending 15 days in travel now!!

Smt Indira Narayan, President of Senior Citizens Forum, made a collection of funny quotes turning them into presentation file. It is a great learning exercise for her. Sri M Chidambara Rao, President of AOSC, discovered the writer in himself and penned three short stories. Sri Ambadipudi Suryanarayana, lifelong learner that he is, signed up and completed a few online courses including those on dementia.

For me, TV serials have dried up. News is mostly depressing. Even the Airtel Dish TV Connection has conked off. So, for my part, I have taken to binge watching of Tamil Short Stories in the laptop. There are plenty of them. Some of them are so good that I get a re-play in my dreams. In a web group called SSS Global (moderated by me) meant for senior citizens that has 250 plus members, we exchange daily mind games, puzzles and quizzes.

Apart from getting inspiration from what others are doing, what else can you do?  

• There are plenty of webinars announced. Most of them allow you to join even without prior registration. Try some of them.  
• Join some WhatsApp groups where you can meet your friends virtually
• Start sketching or painting. Mr Bhalla, president of AISCCON took to painting after retirement. He still finds time to relax with painting and come up with pictures worth entry in competitions.
• Record your own experiences using smart phone; come with short podcasts and share them
• I wrote a long letter of three pages in long hand on plain paper. Took screen shots of it and sent them over WhatsApp to my daughters. This way I could prove to myself that I have not forgotten how to write! I could re-live the thrill of the art of letter writing.

I hope this encourages readers to share their views / experiences of life during lockdown!