Quotes from the beautiful book “A Portrait of Ageing’ edited by Zarina Bhatty:
“Everyone looks happy until you ask them how they are”
“No matter what the economists say, my mother’s price index is still in the 70s, and anything above what she paid for back then is ‘too expensive’ “
“I think the key to staying alive regardless of biological age is staying in the moment and remaining engaged”
“This is not a time for building regrets but for creating memories that will see you through your old age”
“As the cliche goes, after death and taxes, the only certainty is old age. Yet, when it arrives, we never seem to be prepared and are constantly surprised by it. What? Me and old age?”
“It’s your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will have truly defeated age”
“Perhaps everyone, as they age, should be asked to put together a brief recall of how they saw their life. This would provide some continuity in self-perceptions”
“Those ageing are a reminder to the rest that what needs to be done for the well being of the human condition has to be done here and now”
“Reading negates the self-absorption and self-focus that elders are prone to, along with an error or perception that one is a unique, singular sufferer”
“To encourage active participation of the elderly, the motto should be ‘To serve, and not be served’. It is this adaptive capacity of the elderly that determines how they will fare in old age”
Lastly, in Rabindranath Tagore’s words, “Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add colour to my sunset sky”
The full title of the book is “A Portrait of Ageing: Essays and Reflections” which is a collection of multiple articles from Rami Chhabra, Romila Thapar, Hasan Suroor, Priya Sehgal, Shubha Menon, Malashri Lal, Sohail Akbar, Dr Kakil Hai, Dr V Mohan Giri, Uma Chakravarthi, Saba Mahmood Bashir
