Rethink Ageing, authored by founders of 'Silver Talkies', Reshmi Chakraborty & Nidhi Chawla, is a landmark book that gives a peek into the life of active seniors & advises on how to lead an active & fulfilling life.
The book is an amalgamation of the knowledge collected
through running an organization ‘Silver Talkies’ founded by Reshmi Chakraborty and
her co-author Nidhi Chawla in 2014. Silver Talkies empowers adults older than
55 years of age while connecting them with each other to encourage the formation
of strong social bonds, across the world.
The attitude towards ageing in India is quietly undergoing a welcome
transformation. As someone who recently turned 60, I've experienced this shift
firsthand. Here in India, being labeled a ‘senior citizen’ comes with its own
set of perks, like discounts at hospitals and better rates on fixed deposits.
However, the essence of being a senior citizen is defined by how you feel, what
you do, and your overall health and well-being.
Personally, reaching this milestone hasn't felt much different. I've
continued pursuing new professional directions, and I've noticed a similar trend
among my peers. More and more older adults are choosing an active, vibrant
lifestyle over the traditional notion of retirement. This movement, known as
"active ageing," is redefining what it means to grow older.
A great resource in this context is the landmark book "Rethink
Ageing" by Reshmi Chakraborty and Nidhi Chawla. The book offers a glimpse
into the lives of active seniors and provides practical advice on leading a
fulfilling life. Founded in 2014, their organization, ‘Silver Talkies’,
empowers adults over 55 and fosters strong social bonds worldwide.
“Urban
India today is witnessing a changing narrative about older adults, with many
adapting to the concept of ‘active ageing’, which is well defined by the World
Health Organization (WHO),” says Reshmi Chakraborty co-author of the book
‘Rethink Ageing’.
“India
is poised to have a population of older adults numbering a whopping three
hundred million by the year 2050 and in this scenario, it is important that
they stay engaged, healthy, and happy. And WHO defines active ageing as the
process of developing and maintaining certain functional abilities that will
enable your well-being throughout your life, through your older years. This
well-being is not just physical well-being but also looks at social, emotional,
spiritual, cognitive, and environmental well-being,” adds Reshmi.
The
members of Silver Talkies range from 55 to 96 years and what comes across from
their stories is that the visual of a frail older person no longer holds true for
them. They are choosing to step out of their family circles to start a new
hobby, a new profession or just forming close social and emotional bonds.
Reshmi
is a former journalist based in Pune while Nidhi, who is based in Bangalore, has
worked for several years in the financial sector. She is the recipient of leadership
awards for her work in the elder care space.
The
book outlines the parameters that define physical, emotional, mental, and
spiritual well-being as well as explains the options available for starting a second
career.
“We
observed in our homes that our parents, as they got older, were facing isolation
and boredom and we could not find many opportunities for them. We realized that
as a society, we were taking older adults or seniors for granted and there was
a strong need to create an exclusive forum where they could come together and
do things of their own choice. That is how ‘Silver Talkies’ was born,” informs
Nidhi.
“Since we embarked on that journey, I think till date
we are still learning many new things from our members. We started with the
idea that they would be interested in attending yoga sessions or a bhajan
programme. But our first event was a visit to an art gallery in Bengaluru. Twelve
people came with us, and we saw that soon camaraderie and rapport developed
amongst them. They were having a good time interacting over a common topic,
hanging out at a cafe, and having a cup of coffee together. That changed our
perspective and from then on there was no looking back,” says Nidhi sharing
their learnings about how the mindsets were changing.
“Our
biggest learning was that ageing cannot be stereotyped. Just because you are at
a certain age, you must follow a certain protocol, system, or way of life. We
have discovered that they are ready to try out a lot of new stuff. So, we have had
events like theater workshops and dance workshops, they have participated in
fashion shows with us, they love traveling and they want to party hard. All
those things which probably they could not do when they were taking care of
their families or during their careers, they want to experiment with all that
now,” shares Nidhi.
According to Reshmi one of the key learnings
in their book is that as you grow older, finding a community to fall back on
really drives and motivates you. “Having friendships, and a circle of your own
is a key factor and after that many things fall in place. Our other important message
is to keep up physical movement, to the best extent possible. A physiotherapist
has advised that if nothing, keep that jug of water in the furthest corner of
your room or house so that every time you feel thirsty you get up and walk a
little. There are many small ways to keep active. The other important thing we
have highlighted is mental health because there is very little focus on the
mental health of elders, plus spirituality, which sort of helps keep you
grounded in many ways, explains Reshmi.
Sharing
some inspiring stories from the book, Reshmi points out that Ravi Acharya, one
of their members, places much importance on continuing with friendships. He
makes it a point to meet his friends and has also become involved with
different social causes where he meets not just people his age but also across generations.
Similarly,
another member, Hira Rupani, who is very spiritual and grounded, was able to
deal calmly with her husband’s passing away. “She was able to accept even a negative
event in her life. You know that inner stability comes with your spiritual practices
and sense of purpose,” adds Nidhi.
“Older
adults are now making active choices to take care of themselves despite their
responsibilities. There’s 77-year-old Shakuntala Pai, who was a caregiver to a super
senior in her house. And while she took care of that responsibility, now that
she has time on her hands, she dabbles in painting, participated in a fashion
show, and is exploring theatre. There is a new spark in her,” Nidhi opines.
There
are also stories of people who have overcome the age factor and gone on to do extraordinary
things. Geeta, at the age of sixty-five, began a fitness routine to become a
trekker. “Geeta loves going to the mountains, but her physiotherapist told her
to walk in the swimming pool and start a gym routine to build endurance and
strength. Geeta had never stepped into a swimming pool in her life, let alone going
to a gym. But she got over her hesitation and not only started stepping into a
pool but also started a gym routine. She told us that she thought of those mountains
she loved so much and just did it,” says Nidhi.
About
starting a second career or work opportunities after retirement, the book has
several recommendations. “There are few private companies and startups who have
started considering retirees for part-time or project-based opportunities. Content
writing, accounting jobs, and philanthropic activities or social work with NGOs
are some of the areas where they can find opportunities and contribute through
their wisdom and their experience,” says Nidhi but cautions that it is
important for the seniors to accept the fact that they may not be able to find
a job or an opportunity which is exactly similar in arrangement to what they
have been used to. It should be considered as an opportunity to learn, reinvent
themselves or rediscover another area of interest. Staying committed is also especially
important,” she explains.
Many
seniors are also converting their talents into business ideas by learning social
media skills. “Whether you are doing your own venture or whether you are
applying for a job, you need to be open to upskilling. And one of the key
things that works nowadays is to be social media savvy, to learn to use Instagram
and LinkedIn,” is her advice.
Listen to an interview with the authors.
On
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5tdRyCwp2uluueQW9Zed00?si=Ev5vwnPcTM-NusS11t7U8g
On
Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/books-and-us/id1688845897?i=1000624965849
