Kochi: For the 50 inmates of a destitute home here who have reached the fag end of their lives, it was a once-in-a- lifetime experience as they spent the day with college students that helped them take a stroll down memory lane. Music, dance, friendly banters and hearty interactions followed by a sumptuous lunch and birthday party made the day for the elderly citizens of the 'House of the Destitute, S D Convent, Perumanoor, and a batch of 50 students of Sacred Hearts college, Thevara, the first elder-friendly college in the state.
The one-day camp was organised as part of the age-friendly initiatives undertaken by the Ernakulam district panchayat in association with an NGO, MAGICS. "We could get to see the meaning of 'young in mind' when the grandmas and grandpas sang popular numbers of olden days and one grandma even shook legs to the tunes," said noted percussionist Prince Abraham, who was part of the background score team in hit films like 'Charlie.'
The students shared Rs 50 each to buy cakes and other sweets to celebrate the occasion while a good Samaritan sponsored the lunch and celebrated his birthday with the old age home inmates. "After a course for elderly people started at our college, we get to meet them regularly. We know about their loneliness and a desire to be in a jolly mood. I've volunteered for such initiatives and went for a tour programme along with the elderly citizens to Cherai, Lulu Mall and Marine Drive. I see the face of my own grandma and grandpa in each of them," said Princy John, a second-year BA English student. The candidates of the University of Third Age programme (course for elderly at SH college) now plan to go for a cinema with the students next Saturday.
