Young At Heart

Who does not want to look young, feel young, think young… behave young? We all do. We all want to get back our youth and live longer, much as the flesh may not be willing while the spirit is. A balance needs to be struck somewhere. The sooner we get to realize this, the easier it is to be at peace with ourselves.
Somehow, this basic truth about life has escaped many of our members. So this morning, when Shekhawat-ji went around asking everybody his/her age, the responses he got were uproariously funny. Forget the ones who were lying through their teeth. That’s common. But what would you say when someone asks upfront, “Kya, asli age bataaoon?” and after much hesitation, settles for 52?
Shekhawat-ji needed to know everybody’s age, as it has to be submitted to the transporter from whom the bus is being chartered for the Lonavala trip. The guest house we would be lodged in also requires the passengers’ manifest with the age details. Since it is being run for the welfare of senior citizens, it makes more sense to state our real age (if not raise it) in order to avail of the subsidized accommodation.
While the men understood this and truthfully mentioned their age, the ladies were initially not as accommodating. In effect, an embarrassingly huge age gap showed up between husband and wife in some cases. Once again, the figures had to be fibbed such that we now have a contingent with an age variance from 51 to 79 years. Tara Chand Seth is the senior-most, followed by Sitaram Hirvekar at 72 years and Shekhawat-ji at 67 years.
Sadly, the youngest member of the Club is not coming. Kajal Babani (right), we understand, will have to be home-bound as her daughter is down with viral fever. Her husband, Dilip, is coming though. Both Dilip and Kajal have always been the life force of all our picnics earlier. There’s still a few more days to go for this one. Lets hope by then the girl recovers so that both her parents can join us, without a worry.

Renu Babani says:
Seriously, why lie about one's age, because the truth does come out eventually. It is normal that many people would like to be younger perhaps, especially when they see their children all grown up, settled down and busy with their routines. I guess watching them, makes these people recall their youth. There is a child in everyone it is said, but looks like youth never really leaves us as well. Or rather, we do not want to admit that we are growing old!
--Renu