By Radhika Nagrath
Haridwar, 21 Jan: A one-day national conference was organised on ‘Healthy Ageing in India: Challenges, Opportunities and Responsibilities’ by Shehjaar Homes, an organisation for senior citizens, at a local hotel in SIDCUL. Nearly 160 senior citizens from across the country participated.
The conference was inaugurated by the Vice-Chancellor of Doon University, Surekha Dangwal, HelpAge Global Ambassador Matthew Cherian, MK Mittal, former Director of BHEL, and Malti Jaswal, President of the Senior Care Foundation, with lighting of the ceremonial lamp. On the occasion, RN Mittal was honoured with the Shehjaar Homes Distinguished Service Award, and Rahul Arora with the Outstanding Music Teacher Award.
A video film about Shehjaar Homes was also screened on this occasion.
Shehjaar’s new logo and magazine were launched by the guests at the conference. MK Raina, the founder of Shehjaar Homes, Haridwar, spoke about the importance of organising this conference.
Suresh Palge, Director, Shehjaar Homes, skilfully conducted the programme and explained that, in various sessions, experts highlighted different aspects of sports, music, and a positive attitude in life to effectively address the challenges that arise with increasing age.
Chief Guest Surekha Dangwal said that senior citizens are historical pillars upon which future generations depend. Senior citizens should never consider themselves dependent but should be contributors, making their contribution to the development of the family and society.
Matthew Cherian emphasised the importance of proper diet, exercise, and social interaction in daily life. Former BHEL Director MK Mittal and Malti Jaswal, President of the Inspiring Seniors Foundation, said that caring for the elderly should be considered a social responsibility. Dr Sanjay Raina from Amrita Hospital, Faridabad, provided important information on healthy aging. Dr Indu Subhash gave information about the legal rights of senior citizens. Nancy Kaul from Pune spoke about the other activities of the organisation.
In the evening programme, all the participants enjoyed a cultural show.
Among the guests present were SK Agarwal, BS Sridhar, Ravindra Khanna, RK Agarwal, RK Aneja, Vinay Goyal, Jagdish Pahwa, Navneet Arora, PN Malik and others. Veena Singh from Roorkee proposed the vote of thanks.
