CHENNAI: Mana janab ne pukaara nahin, kya mera saath bhi gawara nahi?, a Kishore Kumar classic from Paying Guest blares through the speakers at Athulya Assisted Living, Arumbakkam. In rhythm with the music, a sprightly Ravi Narasiman in a zany attire, sashays across a make-shift ramp, grooves and lip-dubs to the song, receiving cheers and whistles from the audience. Narasiman is one of the 11 senior residents, who showcased his chic self on the ramp, as part of Athulya’s #YoungatHeart celebrations to commemorate World Heart Day and International Day for Older Persons, on Wednesday.
“The most beautiful things in the world can never be seen or touched, they have to be felt. The heart is one such...walking on this ramp, certainly made me feel young,” says 75-year-old Ravi, reminiscing his formative years in Mumbai, his five-decade-long career and newfound friendships. “We’ve known each other for exactly one year and two weeks,” he says, fondly looking at 85-year-old Kannan, who dressed up as a golf player for the show. “We are like Laurel and Hardy,” quips Kannan.
Fostering friendships
A few minutes of banter later, the duo narrates how they met each other in their silver years. “I was in room 105 on the first floor of Athulya, waiting to be reassigned to a different room of my choice. Meanwhile, Kannan’s son-in-law was looking for a room for him and since 105 was going to be vacant, he became its new occupant. I am an extrovert...the moment I saw him, I went and introduced myself and started asking him questions. He told me he used to work in Dunlop at Ambattur.
When I mentioned my aunt and uncle too used to work there, he rushed in, brought out a group photo of his former colleagues and there they were — my aunt, uncle and my new friend!” recalls Ravi. “Of all the places in the world, we ended up in Arumbakkam, and had a common connection. Small world. Both of us are early risers and we meet every morning for a chat before our coffee time. We have a lot of misunderstandings... But we spend the entire day, clarifying those misunderstandings,” they laugh. “We can’t tide through the day without meeting each other. On days, when we don’t meet, we check in on each other through WhatsApp,” shares Kannan.
Friendship, a reminder to keep the heart young, reliving past moments and creating new memories were the themes of the evening. “I have never been part of a fashion show or walked on a ramp. But I didn’t need much practice to pull this off,” begins 97-year-old Lakshmi Ammal, the senior-most participant of the show. Draped in a bright pink nine-yard sari, decked in jewels, she walked the ramp swinging her ornamented sowri and kunjalam in sync to a Tamizh song. “I knew to drape a nine-yard sari, so I wore this madisar. I was instructed to pause in a few places, turn, wave and twirl, which I did. I used to be a homemaker, so this was a new experience. I had a wonderful time,” she enthuses. For the voracious reader and music enthusiast, this place is now her home. “To me, life is all about trying new things now and I am not going to say no to any new experience that comes my way!” she adds.
Fun with fashion
For Meenakshi, an 80-year-old who made her debut ramp walk, cultural events aren’t a new affair. “I may not have walked the ramp myself but I’ve organised many events. I have a fair idea on how to carry oneself and perform on stage,” shares the former Chemistry teacher, dressed in a floral-print sari, adorning a sembaruthi poo on her hair, carrying an umbrella and a handbag — assuming the role of a teacher from an earlier era. “I’ve always enjoyed being in the teaching profession. Curating events used to make me the happiest. Even now, I love being part of activities that are affiliated with education. If I get some opportunity, I will perhaps take it up,” she shares.
Ravi, Kannan, Lakshmi and Meenakshi were accompanied by their friends Kuppuswamy (74), Krishna (86), Olney Aaron (81), Sundaram (84), Vasantha Lakshmi (65), Liaquat Ali (74) and Parthasarathy (85) on the stage. “The event was to reiterate the message of staying young at heart and the senior models gave everyone goals to stay enthusiastic and energetic, whatever the age may be. It was a reflection of their abilities — to accept, adapt and accommodate — to changes around them,” shares Srinivasan G, CEO of Athulya.
Offering services such as assisted living in senior living communities and geriatric home healthcare services, Athulya’s homecare services have served more than 10,000 senior citizens. “We currently offer 250-bed facilities across four locations in Chennai. We hope to scale this up to 5,000 beds in the next five years. The awareness of such well-modelled assisted living setups are now increasing and we want to cater to that demand,” he adds. Here’s to staying healthy and hearty!
For details, visit: www.athulyaseniorcare.com