Coffee, Sizzlers, Dosa, Fun, what else?

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We three were placed in different parts of Kolkata –With forthcoming exams, responsibilities in office and home, prior engagements during weekends - our meeting seemed impossible. Finally we decided to meet on a week day promising each other we will wind up in one hour. One had to pick up her daughter, I had to return home and pick up my new lap top that day and the third one had a son preparing for his Higher Secondary exams.

It all started with wow how we looked, what we were doing to stay fit, what the rest of our school friends were doing, and gradually the discussion went on to something else – There were so many ideas popping up as we spoke that I had to use the tissue paper to scribble and work on those actionable thoughts and suggestions that my friend who is the director of an NGO kept pouring incessantly.

Even after two rounds of order – Masala Dosa, Vada, sizzlers and two rounds of coffee, our discussion continued and it lasted for close to three hours. The daughter got picked up by the husband. The poor son had to study on his own. The laptop really had to wait till 8 PM. What did we talk about after all?

·         Workshops for Caregivers to Dementia patients including training from Psychologists

·         Newspaper Campaign to support Dementia patients

·         How to handle learning disability in children and parents?

We had fun meeting our old school friends and some great exchange of ideas. The point is – let us have fun, an active social life, party hard, dance like crazy, have fun all the way!

Are we having fun with a sense of responsibility?

In your next party at home or family picnic outside, before you give that one big Biryani order for forty people, ask yourself if you would like to increase the revenue of an established outlet or the widow who runs a food joint around the corner whose son is in class V. You heard that her food is great, from many who have tried. What is stopping you to order - Is it your fetish for brand, your image in the online universe or hygiene or quality?

Bill Gates rightly said - there are three kinds of wealthy people – one who owns everything - yacht, island and half the world, one who invests in business to make more for the world, one who donates to charity organizations to make a difference to the world.  (May be not those exact words, that is the essence though)

Have Fun! Do we need to be brand conscious morons when we have a choice and the power to lift someone else?

You are wealthy, now get rich! No, they are not the same thing.

Author Profile: Kakuli Nag

The Last Few Years

Lord Richard Attenborough’s death is still reeling in our minds – The 1982 magic with Gandhi and all those Oscars, his appearance in dinosaur blockbuster Jurassic Park, his work as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and other humanitarian causes – He is so fondly remembered, for everything he was, everything he did. RIP.

How did this man survive his last few years? I will touch upon this in just a minute.

Many are not sure if DADA (Dignified Aging and Dementia Awareness) one of the key themes of Ramosara Foundation will fly off. Would anyone actually want to switch to an old age home willingly? Sell their house to plan retirement in a Home? Would anyone in their thirties plan and save to live in an old age home after a certain age? That is exactly the idea Ramosara Foundation is promoting – Old Age Home as a Life Style Option. Is that not against our culture and belief system? Hold on to that doubt too.

Yet deep down, many will want this idea to work. There is no guarantee about our physical health and how long we will live – how well our minds will work? As you age, this gradual dependence on others is the painful part - particularly when you find your family member’s course of lives change only because of you – A son unable to take that international assignment as he is worried stiff about you - Whether they let go of that opportunity gladly to accommodate you or not so gladly, you do have your pangs of guilt.

DADA is just to bring a tiny round of awareness in you for such possibilities of dependence in future, encourage you to plan well in advance to live with dignity without disturbing any other family member’s space. Make it a personal choice. A conscious choice! To move!

The whole concept of DADA is to say, you really do not have to be pitted against a wall or be constrained by circumstances to decide moving to an Old Age Home - just plan for it as one of your options like you plan other things in life. If people can buy life insurances, why not buy a nice cozy room with food, attendant and health check up services for your later years too?

Through DADA, we are fast-forwarding you mentally twenty to thirty years from now to allow you to visualize possible realities. Wishful thinking is fine however a reality check is better any day. There is more to this age, than just financial security, health check up and medicine. If you lose that sense of belonging with your family, you lose it all!

Lord Attenborough was confined to wheelchair after a stroke in 2008, in March last year he moved to a home for elderly, his wife Sheila Sim, 92 a year older than him who suffers from Dementia had been in that home since middle of 2012. Both assisted to found and fund the home to ensure it runs well.

If someone of his magnitude, who was known as ‘Titan of British Cinema’ by BAFTA, some one who had connects with the royal family, an amazing actor and brilliant director - could live his last years in an elderly home, you never really know! Life is unpredictable.

Exercise your choice now. If you want to know more about DADA, please reach out to ramosara.foundation@gmail.com for more details 

Being Aware Is Not Enough – Act!

When a well wisher forwarded this today, I remembered the first draft of my mail I had sent to few of my contacts a couple of years back - trying to find like minded people to form the society with the objective to create awareness on Dementia.

Now when people reach out to us when a Dementia patient is missing or when they find a relative is suffering from Dementia and they do not know how to deal with it, I have to ask three fundamental questions:

Is awareness enough?
Is there any action we can take now?
Is it possible to avoid?

You need not be part of an NGO, or any movement – just be responsible for yourself. Some things really are not in the capacity of an NGO as those are individual choices. Awareness bit is our scope. Action piece is yours.

Your life style
Your pursuits
Your priorities

The whole of this year went in shaping a model called BLESS (Book Library and Exchange Skills/ Services) conceptualized by a few voracious readers which is platform to share learning, skills and engage people in meaningful activities – change lives, thought patterns and even belief system. As we know, just being aware is not enough, this was an attempt to allow people escape routine and make community initiative a personal choice and also take care of their well being.

Next time you are part of anti obesity drive or walk for Diabetes or attend a workshop on Dementia, go beyond awareness, Act!! Like my friend just did, by forwarding this to me.

Author Profile:

Kakuli Nag has authored two books and is a consultant for learning solutions and content strategy.


Source: Publication Daily Mirror