Old is Gold: A Touch of Love and Care

Life has to come a full circle in a perfect pattern that includes youth, maturity and old age. The beauty of the morning and the radiance of the noon are bright but it would be a very silly person who drew the curtains and turned the lights off in order to shut the tranquility of the dusk of life. Advanced years have their own pleasures that are no less exciting from those of the youth.

If one wants to experience it, a visit to a tiny hub named 'Care N Share' centre in the mall town of Solan in Himachal Pradesh is a must. It is a trendsetter, a place where one can find the elderly believing in themselves to be getting their daily dose of positivity and motivation.

It can also be described as a unique example of corporate social responsibility as it is a brain child of a local businessman who rented a spacious accommodation, provided sporting and leisure infrastructure, and threw it open to all the senior citizens of the town to come and enjoy themselves. He also recruited hands to take care of the special needs of the old like sugar free tea, coffee, warm water for taking medicines etc. All this is being provided to the elders free of cost.



In return, Arun Trehan who is in his early fifties, is making huge profits in terms of blessings and goodwill that can crash any balance sheet. For him it is smiles that come in and sadness that goes out.

“It was an urge from within for a long time to do something for the elderly but it could happen only in 2013. Life is more fun if you play games, read books and discuss things. My belief is happiness is that perfume which you cannot rub on to some else without getting a few drops on yourself. Life around is beautiful. I see all the smiles and my world is complete.” says Trehan who is himself a regular here.

The place has developed into a nest of happiness. There is no penitence of growing old or kids working in far away cities or even abroad. There is no cursing daughters-in-law or children who are too busy to call regularly.



One of the regulars D.N.Khanna says, “In my youth I made sure to save some pleasant thoughts for my old age. I do not regret growing old as it is a privilege denied to many. I relax when I come here and interact with people here.”

For Dr Sunita Oberoi who worked as a medical professional in Delhi before retiring to the hills, it is a second home. “It has given me second life. Few months back when I was not well and unable to move it was the regular follow ups, positivity and motivation of the visitors to the centre that put me back on my feet. The days when I was in bed, these new found friends in the evening of life took care of my family,food, my mental,emotional and physical well being,” she recalls with a beaming smile.

Celebrations galore at this tiny hub. The elders not only cut cakes on their birthdays and anniversaries but also celebrate the birthdays of their children and grandchildren in absentia, with their new friends. “Many relatives and friends kept trying my landline to wish me but I was unavailable as our party was on here,” recalls Khanna.



The camaraderie developed can be evaluated from the enthusiasm shown by 96 year old Roop Ram in visiting the place every few days. He says with a hearty laugh that the advantage of being 96 is that there is no peer pressure.

There are regular picnics, visits from local university students who come forward to teach use of gadgets to those interested, performances by local artists on different occasions, regular visits by doctors to check blood pressures of the aged, instructions in Yoga etc.

In all it is the thrill of life that is reaching its pinnacle with aging. Having suppressed their own talents while dealing with exigencies of their working lives, they are now free to sing, recite and even dance when they feel like.