My day begins at 6 am sharp. The first thing I do is Pranayam followed by Yoga every day. I have also been doing Jala Neti for 30 years which helps keeps my sinus clear, no headaches and mental stress as it benefits us by removing the excess heat out of our brain.
My house is at 3rd floor and I need to climb at least 3 to 4 times a day. We do not have a lift. Every morning I go for a walk of 3 km. I prefer to walk as it is faster in the traffic and it helps me keep active. Besides exercising I feel a good and balanced diet is very essential for anyone to keep fit.
I have been suffering from Diabetes since 1976 but due to exercise and controlled diet and leading a disciplined routine, I have been able to keep my sugar level under control. I feel that to lead a Healthy and Active life one must eat everything in moderation, exercise regularly, think positive and must go for regular health checkups.
When I retired at the age of 61 from Colour Chem, I had thought of continuing to work for few more years. But didn’t realised that I would be working even today at the age of 86. I will continue to do so as long as my health permits and I can travel alone. My consultancy work also requires travel outside Mumbai 4 to 5 days in a month.
My wife passed away in March 2012 and since then I live alone at Thane. Both my daughters wanted me to come and live with them but since my health permits and all my friends, my bank related work etc is all based in Thane I decided to continue living here. Living alone means maintaining the house which is a full time job. I am enjoying this new role though I do miss my wife and other family members.
I am a very social person and have lots of friends and most of my friends have been there with me in all stages of my life. I still meet my school, college and Colour Chem friends and often go out for picnics with them.
Earlier I was not very fond of the new technology maybe because I thought I would not be able to cope with it but since the time I have been using the smart phone, I have been able to keep in touch with family and friends through WhatsApp. I surf the internet for interesting news articles, and work related material. All this keeps me socially and mentally active.
She entered athletics at the age of 93 after being motivated by her 79 year old son Gurudev Singh, who is also an athlete. In 2016 she won gold medal at Americas Masters Games for her good performance.
As a gerontologist and proud Indian I consider it my personal responsibility to spread this good news and thereby acknowledge her strength, motivation, determination and hard work. She is truly an inspiration and a perfect example of healthy, productive and active ageing.
I am happy that along with fulfilling their desires these seniors are also practicing their Right to Education. Through this act they are also inspiring the younger generation to educate themselves and become self sufficient.
Meeting passionate 60+ students in person and reading news items about more such examples in different parts of India not only motivates me but also makes me hopeful about the future of our country. Who says that only youth are the future? Such passionate seniors are also the future, who are setting a good example for the entire nation.
