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Official website:

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Portal: http://www.ageingpost.com/

A Brief Report on Observance of

International Day of Older Persons, 2013

1. Ageing Nepal Organized an Inter-Generation Tea Party to mark the

International Day of Older Person, 2013, October 1. On the occasion:

PARTICIPANTS HAVING TEA AT THE

PARTY ORGANIZED

1.1 A short video on the ongoing struggle of older persons for their Rights

was released. This "fight for right" has been going on since March 2013,

way long before the International Day of Older Person 2013 came and passed

by these senior citizens without any effect. One may ask: how many

International Day of Older Persons needs to be observed world over

before these older people start getting what they were promised by the

law?

(Link of the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnkSW4FvzEo&feature=youtu.be&a)

A poem by Mr. Birat Simha, a retired UN Official

"The future we want – what

older people are saying?"

In the twilight of our lives

Show us the bright glow of the future

Not for us, but for you yourselves - our

children and yours

We have done what we could

You must bear the torch now

And harvest what we have sowed

The future is firmly in your hands

Make the best of the bounty you have

So we may leave in gratified peace.

1.2 Fifth issue of Jyestha Nagarik, the only vernacular 50+ page magazine

of Nepal on Senior Citizens was released.

PARTICIPANTS READING THE “JYESTHA NAGARIK” MAGAZINE

On Old Age

Greta M. Pennington Rana

A published poet of international Repute

Have you and I really tasted

The last of our summer wine?

And are the only years left now

To be spent avoiding the pain of age?

You have seen how it is

With a dowager friend or two we know.

The wrinkled brow you kissed

To make it feel better creaked

With a wildly imagined flu and what not.

When in all the fact

Is sadder than a child's stillbirth.

The evening's long now and so

The sap rises, the weather's fine

But we can’t taste the summer wine.

(P. S. Summer wine is of course a kenning a label substituted physical passion)

1.3 A short report on World Alzheimer Month was released. It gives

details of activities undertaken jointly by Alzheimer and Related

Dementia Society (ARDS) Nepal, National Senior Citizens’ Federation

(NASCIF) and Ageing Nepal.

(Link of the report: http://www.ageingnepal.org.np/images/alzheimers_report2013.pdf)

Mr. Narayan P. Gautam (84) suffered Alzheimer for a decade

before passing on in 2012.

Virtues of Alzheimer's

Diseases

Krishna M. Gautam

Memory loss too has its blessings

Always new are the things

New are the times, places and events

New are the family and friends

Fresh are smells, sweet or bitter are tastes

Always all new, knows no rest

New is the vision and new is the belief

New is the self, if ever found!

1.4 A slide on status of older people in Nepal was released.

Link: http://www.ageingnepal.org.np/images/oldpeopleinnepal.pdf

OLDER PEOPLE SUPPORTING CALL FOR UN CONVENTION

ON THE RIGHTS OF OLDER PERSONS

1.5 A training manual for Memory Training Trainers was released.

(Link: http://www.ageingnepal.org.np/images/memory_training_manual.pdf). A full report

can be had from Ageing Nepal.

SUPPORTING CALL FOR UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF OLDER PERSONS

1.6 TV talk Shows

Ageing Nepal arranged talk shows on IDOP 2013 in the two popular TV

stations: Nepal1 and News 24. Founder Chairperson of Ageing Nepal Mr.

Krishna M. Gautam talked on the relevance of IDOP and the need for UN

Convention on the rights of older persons in his 30 minutes talk in each of

these TV shows. Both talk shows were live telecasted on 1st October and

repeated on 2nd Oct 2013.

Nepal 1 TV: http://www.nepal1tv.net/

(The morning 7:30 talk show was anchored by Ms. Kabita).

News 24 TV: www.news24nepal.tv/

(The 11 am talk show was hosted by Anita Silawal).

It is estimated that about two hundred thousand Nepalese were reached

with the message of IDOP 2013 through these TV stations.

2. Radio Talk shows

a) Mr. Aashish T. Magar, Program Officer of

Ageing Nepal gave 30 minutes talk on the relevance of IDOP and the need to call for UN convention on the rights of

older people in Sagarmatha FM, the oldest Community radio of Nepal. The

1pm talk show was hosted by Mr. Lok Raj Adhikary http://www.radiosagarmatha.org/

b)

Mr. Krishna M. Gautam gave 30 minutes talk on the relevance of IDOP and the need to call for UN convention on the rights of older people:

i. Image news FM with host Mr.

Thakur Belbase at 8am. http://imagechannels.com/newsfm1036

ii. Mero FM with Mr. Adhikari at 7pm

http://www.merofm.org/

iii. Community Information Network

(CIN) http://www.cin.org.np/. The

show was hosted by Mr. Dipak

Acharya.

It is estimated that about 50% of Nepalese population were reached with the

message of IDOP 2013 through these radio stations.

What Older Persons are Saying?

Krishna M. Gautam

You were our future

We made you last long

You are now present

And we are not the past

In the last leg of our journey

On your field, we are ageing gracefully

Give us what we humanely deserve

The older persons are saying.

We took pride in raising you, my child!

Gave you all we could

Never looked and asked for a reason

Not even once!

Now the tree is looking for reasons

Why the gardener and the seed on which it grew?

Mesmerizes the gardener,

And the seed decaying under

The seed and the gardener

Go deep in the past, reflecting

"We are proud of you, my tree!"

The older persons are saying.

We have always been giving and you have been receiving

That has been our relationship since the making

It is for your better future that we are praying

Allow us to help you,

The older persons are saying.

We never ever calculated the cost of raising you

The feelings we valued in praising you

We saw our rewards in all your gains

Your single giggle healed all our pains

For the human rights that we fought

Now you are enjoying, what we taught

To stand by your side, we are vying

Give us some space,

The older persons are saying.

You knew how to please us

When you were a child and had to buy a toy

How come you now need to investigate and explore,

To know what we like, my boy?

Yes, we are the very same persons

Few years older than before,

Our likes and dislikes

Are the same as yours

As if aliens we have become

On bed we lie sick and unattended

See us as the same persons as before,

The older persons are saying.

The longevity we have earned

On to you it will be shifted

You will live longer, dear child

Some pains may become mild

The pain you too will have to live

But we wish you have child beside

Company of own children

Make all pains more bearable

Ensure that for me and it will be the same to you

The older persons are saying.

Raising you a child was not a challenge

Rather we felt blessed

We thanked God for the responsibility He entrusted us

We enjoyed, and in no way we felt stressed

For all the fairness,

How did we become your challenge?

Manage your parents, my children,

The older persons are saying.

Now that we are old, we can be so bold

With no greed, no fear; let the truth be told

We gave undivided attention and dedication of love to raise you all

You are raised high, do not let us fall.

True, we forget things but not the feel of love

We can't stop loving you and wish we could be loved

Our needs are few, almost none

Please love us once and forever till we are gone

Please be patient with us, for we haven't long

For this life of yours and ours, through pains we are paying

Give us what we humanely deserve,

The older persons are saying.

A Brief Report on Observance of International Day of Older Persons, 2013

Published by: Ageing Nepal

Photo credit: Ageing Nepal

Copyright © Ageing Nepal 2013