|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mooted, a live-in for ‘grandparents’
An organisation is proposing live-in relationships to unite lonely elders, writes
Mauli Buch
Advocating the need for companionship in the autumn of life, a Nagpur octogenarian has taken up the task of mooting live-in relationships for senior citizens, who are leading a lonely life after outliving their spouses. “The relationship might not be sexual only. They can live together as friends or define their own relationship,” says Arvind Godbole, 81, who is spearheading the initiative. Godbole is working under the aegis of Jayeshthanche Live-In Relationship Sanyojak Mandal, formed by the Geeta Godbole Smriti Trust named after his daughter. He says he got inspired by a book written by Dada Dharmadhikari, an Indian freedom fighter and philosopher. “Dada Dharmadhikari was one of the strongest adherents of Mahatma Gandhi’s principles. In his book Purush aur Stree Sahajeevan Dada quoted Gandhiji as saying that a woman can be a sister, a mother, an aunt, a friend and so on,” adds Godbole. “A woman can shower her affection in any form of a relationship. It does not have to be sexual. When we understand this, we will be free from the shackles of backward and narrow-minded mindsets,” he says. Godbole says that the book inspired him to bring together lonely senior citizens. The recent Supreme Court verdict making live-in relationships legal encouraged Godbole to take the initiative forward. “We will soon be open to registering members. A general member can be anyone over the age of 55 years—single, married or widowed,” Godbole informs. Godbole, however, concedes that the initiative might be much more difficult to take forward. “While it sounds like a wonderful idea at first instance, we also cannot ignore the fact that elders are set in their ways and their ideas. If we bring together a hundred people, chances are that only two of them would be compatible,” he says. “But companionship is only one part of it. We would also look forward to sponsoring hostels where seniors could pay and stay in the comfort and company of others,” he adds. Godbole says that youngsters could also register as volunteers. The former Bank of India officer says that once the members were registered, the mandal would help them with a memorandum of understanding (MoU). “The agreement of the MoU will be signed by both the beneficiaries who plan to stay together. We are also thinking about deciding an amount of compensation for women who might get cheated in this case. But this is just a preventive measure,” he says. According to 61-year-old Nandini Pimplapure, a committee member of the mandal, “This is an age of nuclear families. Moreover, when your children grow up and start working or go abroad
for work, parents are left alone. It becomes even more difficult to tackle loneliness if your
spouse dies.” Pimplapure, a retired school principal, says that a live-in relationship is often misunderstood. “By taking this initiative, we are trying to remove the taboo that surrounds a live-in relationship. I never married due to my dedication to work. Today, I stay with my 92-year-old mother and take care of her. This is a live-in relationship of sorts,” she adds.
— IANS
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
