Old Age Pastimes

 How do you spend time when you get old and less mobile?

Some of the activities you were used to including going out, may be difficult. So how do you pass your time?

Here are some idle thoughts-

Read. You can re-read books that you may have read long before. Including favourite authors. The newspaper delivers something new every day, and keeps you abreast of what is happening.

Talk to people- on phone, or in person. They may be your friends, family or whoever. Once in a day or two. Make a video  call on Meet, or Zoom with your kids if they live elsewhere.

Listen to the radio. It's great for listening to any songs you like. Or buy a Carvaan type device with a lot of stored songs.

Walk around, either in your housing society garden, or any other suitable space where it is safe.

TV? I would not recommend it. Maybe watch a movie on Youtube or an OTT channel. That is usually more satisfying.

If you are actually mobile, you have more options, like volunteering, guest lecturing or other ways to occupy yourself.

An Ode to Yercaud

It is by far my favourite hill station. And I have been to most of them in India. Pic above shows us on a boat in the small lake, a few years ago.

It is quiet. It is small. It is also not very tough to access, particularly from Bangalore or Salem-or from Bangalore via Salem.

The drive does not tire you out, as it is just around an hour from Salem.

There is almost nothing to do, so you end up doing that.

The walks are just great.

Good food is available in some of the restaurants, and more importantly, the hotel guys in most small hotels will cook to order.

Haven't been there now for a few years. Time to go again.

I Decide

Gathering from all my six senses as to what works, I decided-for me, that's a BIG Deal, as I am not a decision-maker by nature-more of a vacillator. But now, inspired by some great guys, I have decided. That I will walk to Kedarnath.

You may well ask, why Kedarnath?

I'd reply, "Why not?"

It's a holy journey, so I can wash a few sins off-bathing in the Ganga is too cold a way of doing it, for me.

It's a good, healthy walk, so I can shed a few pounds, along with my sins.

It is cool out there, so this is a good time to be there- I can't afford to go to Europe.

It is a politically correct thing to do- compared to going to Bangkok.

I might just make it to the headlines.

What if there is a lanslide? Well, it's better to be buried in mud, rather than bury my head in sand!

Alarmists

Let us try and clear the mist- I mean, from the alarmists. They are the ones who keep posting alarmist messages like-

Don't read the newspaper, it'll make your mind weak.
Don't eat pizza, it contains hidden micro-organisms that will cripple you.
Drinking Coke makes you impotent.
Morning walks/jogs can displace your arteries.
Ogling at guys/girls can make you blind.

You get the drift, right? So I decided if I can't beat them, I shall join them. Here I go-

Stay away from Arnab Goswami. He is too serious.
Stay away from Salman's films or you'll lose your shirt!
Stay away from investment bankers. If you don't, you'll lose your pants.
Stay away from parents. They tell you what to do.
Stay away from your teachers. Or you will start believing you are a nitwit.
Don't have kids. They make you cry.
Don't marry. Prevent Chapter 11/bankruptcy.

That's all for now. Back with more if you aren't 100% Satisfied with these.

Malwada Days

If this sounds similar to Malgudi days, it was intended. Only, this was a lot quieter. We went, around 15 of us-cousins and family- to a place known as Malwada, off the Ahmedabad highway from Mumbai. It is in Thane district, and generally not known to anyone. That’s because Thane district is much bigger than the suburban station everybody knows. Sort of like New York City and the state of New York.

Anyway, what happens there is remarkable-nothing. And therefore, it is an ideal place to get away to. You can walk, or hear the birds twitter, or take even longer walks. A river dip is a possibility, with one nearby  (I think the river is called Pinjal, though I wouldn’t swear to it). Otherwise, you have your own company. 

The views are magnificient (it was a friend’s bungalow, on a small hill), and the soul feels refreshed. Sunrises, moonrises, and the corresponding 'sets' create excitement, and so do the clear views of the stars. Before you think I am raving (crazy), let me stop by saying, we had a great time. There was also a garden containing some vegetables, for us to potter around in, and eat fresh stuff from. There were a few pakodas from the weekly market to add to the variety on the menu, and some fresh-looking fish that we also fried. Of course, there was singing and telling of jokes to keep the late evenings engaging.

Not having lived in such idyllic surroundings for a decade or two, we were naturally thrilled. A tractor ride of the huge surrounding property was an added attraction. We stopped to watch the threshing of rice in progress, and some kids joined in to get a first-hand experience.

Malwada days, edition 2012, came to an end with the weekend, but now we have some good memories to carry forward into 2013. And we could always return.