Very recently I woke up with my morning paper with a report tucked away in an insignificant part of it. The report dealt with the woeful condition of an elderly person quite at an advanced age with festering wounds and horribly malnourished and dumped on the pavement near to a state-run hospital. This ,needless to say, sent a chill down my spine! It's a true depiction of the state of affairs of the elderly people. Apathy, neglect and gross insensitivity have come to characterize our attitude towards our elderly people and their problems. The story covered in the report just does not end there and further inquiry revealed that this unfortunate has two well-established sons and a house of his own. And his unworthy sons and their wives have treated him so cruelly that he was left with no other option but to flee from them and took to begging for his survival.

But the scenario was not so dismal even some decades back. Moral values still ruled supreme and guided our actions and the existence of joint family system ensured a fair deal for the ones who tried gave their very best to their wards . They bore with all hardships and sufferings silently towards a happy and comfortable future for their sons and daughters and hoped that they would care for them at their most vulnerable stage in life only to find their hopes cruelly dashed down!

We have been following the West in may things life but accepting its materialistic culture in its totality would only aggravate this problem. Whether we accept it or not old age is an inevitable process in one's life all we are subject to. Let us not set a precedent which would be cited by our children in dealing with us when our turn comes!