[Assam] Amar Ghor - Bijoy Sankar Bora-Statesman

[Ram Sarangapani]

I had heard of something like this before, but find this story very
encouraging. Thanks to Bora for writing on this topic.
We know, from the US experience, it doesn't just stop with homes for the
elderly. Once this becomes a trend, facilities like hospices and medical
treatment often follow.

The upside is that many of the elderly can look forward toward this kind of
independent life (and of not having to live with their children), the
downside seems to be that this jet-set age is fast giving way to our age-old
tradition of children taking care of their parents.

--Ram
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*Amar Ghor: For winter warmth*

By Bijay Sankar Bora
At the serene foothills of the Patharquarry hillock, far from the heart of
the maddening city of Guwahati, a small group of elderly women enjoys the
warmth of the winter morning sun, overlooking the highway nearby.
The weight of their age, the dignity with which they carry themselves and
the prayer hall (naamghar) at the gate imparts discernible gravity to the
place. Some of them read newspapers, others are lost in thought. All are
oblivious to the reality that they have become trendsetters after deciding
to spend the rest of their lives at Amar Ghor (Our Home), the first old age
home in Assam. Loneliness at old age, sharp differences of opinion with
relatives have hit the lives of the elderly in India, where the traditional
joint family concept no longer holds good. An increasing number of the
elderly are on the lookout for a peaceful and hassle-free life outside the
confinement of their houses.
One woman's commitment and drive is seeking to transform the pain of
loneliness that is a companion of the elderly generation. Prominent social
worker, writer and former administrator, Mrs Suchibrata Roy Choudhury,
formed a charitable trust after the name of her illustrious father, the
freedom fighter and poet, Ambikagiri Roy Choudhury, to set up Amar Ghor by
donating her own plot of land at Patharquarry. Mrs Roy Choudhury, who is 74,
also prefers to spend most of her days at the home.
The Ambikagiri Memorial Trust Society completed the first phase of the old
age home in May, 2003. Life members of the organisation and patrons donated
Rs 9 lakh to build this section. Today, Amar Ghor can host 16 inmates in its
four rooms and the single dormitory.
There are three, two-bedroom units and one unit with three bedrooms. It is
equipped with a library, TV room, an inverter to facilitate uninterrupted
power supply and well-furnished bedrooms. Regular and abundant supply of
drinking water is a problem at the place that is yet to dig a deep tubewell
of its own. There is staff for the kitchen and household chores. A lady
supervisor and an office staff to manage the place. Residents are not
required to help run the home unless they volunteer. They spend their time
doing whatever they would like to do. They celebrate birthdays, organise
picnics in winter, go on pilgrimages and spend time in the community prayer
hall. Occasionally, small NGOs organise cultural functions at Amar Ghor to
entertain them.
"More elderly people are wiling to become part of the growing Amar Ghor
family," Mrs Roychoudhury said. "But we haven't been able to provide rooms
for them because of fund constraints. Many elderly couples want to stay in
the privacy of single rooms that are yet to be built. The government is not
enthusiastic."
"The fast disappearance of traditional joint families in our society has
made it essential for the state and society to make suitable arrangements to
enable the elderly to spend the rest of their lives with dignity and peace,"
she added. "The loneliness that was haunting my life vanished the day I set
foot on Amar Ghor," said Mrs Binapani Barua, a daughter of the late Harinath
Bezboruah, brother of Assam's greatest litterateur, Lakshminath Bezboruah.
Sushila Pathak is 90 but can still walk quite briskly without support and
does not use spectacles. She said that she spends much of the day at the
prayer hall. "I can't stay in peace in the modern flats of my sons."
The stay at Amar Ghor isn't free. The residents pay Rs 1,500 to Rs 4,000
every month for accommodation and food. Most of them depend on the
generosity of relatives, while some pay either from their own pensions or
that of their late husbands.

(The author is The Statesman's
Guwahati-based Special Representative)
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