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Official website:
http://ageingnepal.org.np/
Portal: http://www.ageingpost.com/
A Brief Report on Observance of
International Day of Older Persons, 2013
1. Ageing Nepal Organized an Inter-Generation Tea Party to mark the
International Day of Older Person, 2013, October 1. On the occasion:
PARTICIPANTS HAVING TEA AT THE
PARTY ORGANIZED
2. A short video on the ongoing struggle of older persons for their Rights
was released. This "fight for right" has been going on since March 2013,
way long before the International Day of Older Person 2013 came and passed
by these senior citizens without any effect. One may ask: how many
International Day of Older Persons needs to be observed world over
before these older people start getting what they were promised by the
law?
(Link of the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnkSW4FvzEo&feature=youtu.be&a)
A poem by Mr. Birat Simha
"The future we want – what
older people are saying?"
In the twilight of our lives
Show us the bright glow of the future
Not for us, but for you yourselves - our
children and yours
We have done what we could
You must bear the torch now
And harvest what we have sowed
The future is firmly in your hands
Make the best of the bounty you have
So we may leave in gratified peace.
3. Fifth issue of Jyestha Nagarik, the only vernacular 50+ page magazine
of Nepal on Senior Citizens was released.
PARTICIPANTS READING THE “JYESTHA NAGARIK” MAGAZINE
On Old Age
Greta M. Pennington Rana
Have you and I really tasted
The last of our summer wine?
And are the only years left now
To be spent avoiding the pain of age?
You have seen how it is
With a dowager friend or two we know.
The wrinkled brow you kissed
To make it feel better creaked
With a wildly imagined flu and what not.
When in all the fact
Is sadder than a child's stillbirth.
The evening's long now and so
The sap rises, the weather's fine
But we can’t taste the summer wine.
(P. S. Summer wine is of course a kenning a label substituted physical passion)
4. A short report on World Alzheimer Month was released. It gives details
of activities undertaken jointly by Alzheimer and Related Dementia
Society (ARDS) Nepal, National Senior Citizens’ Federation (NASCIF)
and Ageing Nepal.
(Link of the report: http://www.ageingnepal.org.np/images/alzheimers_report2013.pdf)
Mr. Narayan P. Gautam (84) suffered Alzheimer for a decade
before passing on in 2012.
Virtues of Alzheimer's
Diseases
Krishna M. Gautam
Memory loss too has its blessings
Always new are the things
New are the times, places and events
New are the family and friends
Fresh are smells, sweet or bitter are tastes
Always all new, knows no rest
New is the vision and new is the belief
New is the self, if ever found!
5. A slide on status of older people in Nepal was released.
Link: http://www.ageingnepal.org.np/images/oldpeopleinnepal.pdf
OLDER PEOPLE SUPPORTING CALL FOR UN CONVENTION
ON THE RIGHTS OF OLDER PERSONS
6. A training manual for Memory Training Trainers was released.
(Link: http://www.ageingnepal.org.np/images/memory_training_manual.pdf)
SUPPORTING CALL FOR UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF OLDER PERSONS
7. TV talk Shows
Ageing Nepal arranged talk shows on IDOP 2013 in the two popular TV
stations: Nepal1 and News 24. Founder Chairperson of Ageing Nepal Mr.
Krishna M. Gautam talked on the relevance of IDOP and the need for UN
Convention on the rights of older persons in his 30 minutes talk in each of
these TV shows. Both talk shows were live telecasted on 1st October and
repeated on 2nd Oct 2013.
Nepal 1 TV: http://www.nepal1tv.net/
(The morning 7:30 talk show was anchored by Ms. Kabita).
News 24 TV: www.news24nepal.tv/
(The 11 am talk show was hosted by Anita Silawal).
It is estimated that about two hundred thousand Nepalese were reached
with the message of IDOP 2013 through these TV stations.
8. Radio Talk shows
a) Mr. Aashish T. Magar, Program Officer of
Ageing Nepal gave 30 minutes talk on the relevance of IDOP and the need to call for UN convention on the rights of
older people in Sagarmatha FM, the oldest Community radio of Nepal. The
1pm talk show was hosted by Mr. Lok Raj Adhikary http://www.radiosagarmatha.org/
b)
Mr. Krishna M. Gautam gave 30 minutes talk on the relevance of IDOP and the need to call for UN convention on the rights of older people:
i. Image news FM with host Mr.
Thakur Belbase at 8am. http://imagechannels.com/newsfm1036
ii. Mero FM with Mr. Adhikari at 7pm
http://www.merofm.org/
iii. Community Information Network
(CIN) http://www.cin.org.np/. The
show was hosted by Mr. Dipak
Acharya.
It is estimated that about 50% of Nepalese population were reached with the
message of IDOP 2013 through these radio stations.
What Older Persons are Saying?
Krishna M. Gautam
You were our future
We made you last long
You are now present
And we are not the past
In the last leg of our journey
On your field, we are ageing gracefully
Give us what we humanely deserve
The older persons are saying.
We took pride in raising you, my child!
Gave you all we could
Never looked and asked for a reason
Not even once!
Now the tree looking for reasons
Why the gardener and the seed on which it grew?
Mesmerizes the gardener,
And the seed decaying under
The seed and the gardener
Go deep in the past, reflecting
"We are proud of you, my tree!"
The older persons are saying.
We have always been giving and you have been receiving
That has been our relationship since the making
It is for your better future that we are praying
Allow us to help you,
The older persons are saying.
We never ever calculated the cost of raising you
The feelings we valued in praising you
We saw our rewards in all your gains
Your single smile healed all our pains
For the human rights that we fought
Now you are enjoying, what we taught
To stand by your side, we are vying
Give us some space,
The older persons are saying.
You knew how to please us
When you were a child and had to buy a toy
How come you now need to "investigate"?
To know what we like, my boy!
Yes, we are the very same persons
Few years older than before,
Our likings and disliking
Are the same as yours.
As if aliens we have become
On bed we lie sick and unattended
See us as the same persons as before,
The older persons are saying.
Our longevity is our earning
It is not your gift
The longevity we have earned
On to you it will be shifted
You will live longer, my child
Some pains may become mild
The pain you too will have to live
But I wish you have child beside
Company of own children
Make all pains more bearable
Ensure that for me and it will be the same to you
The older persons are saying.
Raising you a child was not a challenge
Rather we felt blessed
We thanked God for the responsibility He entrusted us
We enjoyed, and in no way we felt stressed
For all the fairness,
How did we become your challenge?
Manage your parents, my children,
The older persons are saying.
Now that I am old, I can be so bold
With no greed, no fear; let the truth be told
I gave my undivided attention and dedication of love to raise you all
You are raised high, do not let me fall.
True, I forget things but not the feel of love
I can't stop loving you and wish I could be loved
My needs are few, almost none
Please love me once and forever till I am gone
Please be patient with me, for I haven't long
For this life of you and mine, the pain I am paying
Give us what we deserve,
The older persons are saying.
A Brief Report on Observance of International Day of Older Persons, 2013
Published by: Ageing Nepal
Photo credit: Ageing Nepal
Copyright © Ageing Nepal 2013
