NO PLACE FOR OLD PEOPLE IN OUR WORLD
ARVIND K.PANDEY
(Published in NEWSWEEK,FEBRUARY 25,2008)
The onslaught of globalization has categorically raised questions , pertaining to the survival of elders in the small Asian countries .The ever-widening gulf between haves and haves-not besides bleak future for the elders in Japan have brought the Japanese society on the verge of fragmentation . One needs to ask the policy makers why they have failed to make way for old people in the so-called new globalized world ? The cycle of abuse and violence against the the elder class of people has not only gripped the Japanese society but also become a marked feature of the Indian society as well . Here too, most of the programmes , aimed at improving their quality of life , have fallen prey to red-tape and present-age complexities .The government is unable to offer them the post-retirement benefits like cheaper health-care and travel concessions , to name a few . The way elder couples are being attacked by anti-social elements in metros and elsewhere has become cause of worry for the police .Worse, the contractual nature of jobs in modern India and rise in nuclear families have further marginalised the old people , subjecting them to sad aberrations and unholy developments . Well, it's time to ponder why our social and economic set-up have not been at par with the requirements of a globalized world ? Needless to state , let's save them from the unexpected twists and turns of modern times .
It is very sad the way old people are being sweeped to the side. Many elderly in many countries are very well cared for, but in some countries too they are not cared for so well. A you have said in your post that most of the modern decvices and programmes have been designed to help the elderly, but hasn't alsways worked out.