Walking Into Twilight with Dignity
Author- Bhartruhari Mahtab
Publisher- Orange, Rs 425
The care of the aged is not only the responsibility of the Government but also of society and therefore needs to be addressed collectively, writes Devender Singh
Old age, the promised ‘the best of yet to be portion of life, the last of life, for which the first was made’, is being viewed today, at best, as a poetic fantasy, an ideal state of some hoary past when elders were venerated and considered to be a fount of wisdom. Despite the scriptures waxing eloquently about the multiple benefits that flow from the service of elders, the elders, a growing number of them, live in a state of plight full neglect. More so, the condition of aged women, who live longer and alone abandoned by their families, is all the more painful.
Urbanisation, industrialisation, and atomisation of families has, in its wake, not only deprived the elders of societal reverence, traditional family love and care but they are being increasingly neglected and abused. The problem would exacerbate and reach gargantuan proportion with the growing size of elderly population, which was 20 million in 1951, 57 million in 1991, 104 million in 2012 and would be over 300 million by the year 2050. While the successive Governments have devoted greater part of their focus on shelter, food and health care, especially maternal and child health, health care of the aged continues to be in a state of terrible neglect. The deprived, neglected, abused and abandoned elders whose number continues to swell, suffer unattended from serious geriatric health and cognitive disorders. Many senior citizens suffer from the most common form of dementia — the Alzheimer’s disease, a silent tormentor.
Moved by the increasingly unbearable plight of the elders, Bhartruhari Mahtab brought a legislative proposal in the lok Sabha by piloting the Senior Citizens (Provisions of Geriatric and Dementia Care) Bill, 2014 which generated tremendous interest cutting across the political fences. But as is the fate of the Bills introduced by the private MPs, (surprisingly, all MPs other than Ministers are considered ‘private’ under Rules of Procedure of Parliament), the Bill was talked out. But undaunted — given his unflinching commitment to address the poignant problems of the aged — Mahtab took upon himself to document the appalling conditions of elders in India, neglected both by the families and the state. The result is his book, Walking into Twilight With Dignity, recently released by Sumitra Mahajan, Speaker, lok Sabha. Besides, Mahtab has made an indepth comparative study and analysis of the obtaining health care system in the USA, Canada, major countries of the world and the some of the neighbouring countries.
The senior citizens suffer from many geriatric disorders and the author citing empirical studies, writes that Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia that affects a large section of population in India and around the world. Geriatric diseases and disorders too have stages, which if not attended to in time, aggravate leading to acute and irreversible condition. In a PIl the Supreme Court directed the GoI in April 2016 to prepare a road map providing basic amenities like shelter, food and health care to senior citizens.
Mahtab, a five term member of Parliament, rightly forewarns that the Indian health care system needs drastic reorientation while stressing the importance of family and society in the care of the aged. Mahtab advocates wholesale reforms through state intervention by erecting a sound legal and financial framework and a robust health care system well designed and equipped to address the geriatric disorders so that when the children of today become aged, they lead a life of secure and dignified existence in their twilight years. It must be realised, as Prof Saugata Roy, participating in the debate on the subject in lok Sabha said, “The world is also for the aged people...the vice of modern chattering class is that they do not look after their parents”. The care of the aged is not only a responsibility of the Government but also of society and therefore needs to be addressed collectively, comprehensively and in a sustained manner. Mahtab,known for his measured and balanced speeches in Parliament, is equally at ease, and engaging as a writer with a style marked by crystal clarity, brevity and vision.
The reviewer is Additional Secretary, lok Sabha