By Ravinder Singh Sodhi
‘Change is the integral part of life’–this is a universally acknowledged fact but at the same time, we should not ignore the writing on the wall that one should adapt oneself according to the phases of one’s life. Man passes through the different phases of life. No doubt, every phase has some challenges but the ‘lingering shadows’ of the last phase do deserve special attention. One is retired from active or public life at the age of 60 or 65. Till this phase, the children also show indifference to the coughy calls of the old man; physical valour and energy subside and friendships formed throughout life also flee away. The new friends are doctors; fiscal position dwindles; some lose their life partner too. Troubles and tribulations galore! One has to be mentally brave for facing such tribulations. How one should pass through this challenging phase–Dr. M.L. Sood has proposed and propagated a panacea with the help of his 43 co-writers in his recently published book: Life After 65.
Dr. Sood has world-level expertise in his subject i.e. Zoology and it is corroborated by the fact that he has contributed more than 150 research papers on this subject to different magazines. He has so far published 12 research books and some of them carry his articles on life science too. The book under review has 44 essays. Neither can I mention all these in my review, nor do I aim to do so. My main objective is to acquaint the readers with the compatibility and authenticity of the matter in this book.
The brief life- sketches at the end show that all the contributors are above 65. It means their knowledge of the subject is not bookish, it is practical. The problems or challenges one faces in this age are: decreasing physical energy, feeling loneliness, feeling idle, loss of hegemony, indifferent attitude of children, financial dependence, aggravation of diseases or ailments, the craze for owning an independent house, absence of someone who can share the woes, loss of memory, weakness of vision, loss of hearing etc. etc. The solution of these problems put forward by the essayists are also almost similar: looking for new obsession or inclination, involving oneself in pursuit of social reformation, long walks in the company of life partner, light physical exercise, involvement in divine incantations, coming closer to friends, keeping oneself busy in the kitchen garden, developing interest in meditation, keeping oneself busy in some meagre earning chore, spending time in the company of grandchildren etc. etc. Some essayists have made some suggestions to the old people: mustering courage for facing naive and notorious situations, keeping a vigilant eye on one’s accounts, making up mind for not poking nose into the affairs of children, having a nice liaison with the people around oneself, learning to live in present, forgetting the high positions one once had, not feeling pompous and conceited of previous accomplishments, not repenting over failures, not overestimating others, staying away from the advertisements which profound and preach riddance from old age etc. etc.
I will be failing in my purpose if I do not invite your attention to some essays which have impressed me. The very first essay of Dr. Abhilasha Williams throws wonderful light on the skin diseases to which people above 65 usually fall prey to. Being an expert in this field, she has not only named the nomenclature of such diseases but has also suggested cure of such ailments. She has suggested a dietary advice too–a menu one is supposed to practise for the prevention. Dr. Arun Sood has well said “Embrace change instead of fearing it” and “Life i s about choices, it’s your choices that allow you to be either happy or sad.”
Dr. Avatar S. Sangha is of the view that age is closer to your mind, not to the years you are passing through. The very title of his essay invoked the aged people to remain careful, vigilant, easy-going and diligent for as long as they can. It is quite compatible with the views expressed in the treatise. As the writer was a professor of English for a long time, he has authenticated his views by quoting pithy and terse dictums from ‘the mighty minds of the old.’ As is the wont with good essays of literature, his write-up is 60% reflective, objective and ideological and 40% personal, subjective and autobiographical. The account of Dr. Charanjit Kaur Dhanju is also one of the best essays as she has given some solid examples for authenticating her viewpoint. She propounds that the age of 65 does not mean old age. Old age starts much later. She has emphasized that one’s willpower makes one healthy.
Dr. Devinder Singh Jitla has declared that he finds and feels a sea change in his life after arriving at this stage of life. He states that the phase between our birth and death is a wonderful living experience and it is a continuity throughout one’s life. He dwells upon the topic of time management very effectively and is callous to know what old age is. He directs the human beings of all ages to connect themselves with the new techniques of science. He admonishes that every human being is energetic enough to mould himself at any stage and he can provide wonderful avenues to his life by glueing himself to social media.
Dr. I. K. Pai has given a nice name to his essay. He has also put forward some counselling to his readers at the end. He has warned people against using expensive creams for evading old age. Dr. Jaideep Datta is brief but in his case, ‘brevity is really the soul of wit.’ Dr. Kumud Nagral has suggested us to do such things in old age as are necessary for easing the ‘debt’ of family and society. Dr. Manmohan Krishna Mahajan has loudly declared, ‘Add life to age, not vice versa.’ Prof. Mohan Lal Sharma has condemned the common place thinking: ‘What will the people say?’ Dr. Kamal Kamboj has provided a role model by propounding to give up the oft-repeated quote: ‘This was not happening in our times.’ It promotes fault finding only. The very first sentence of the essay of Teg Bahadur Singh is amazing: “Life can begin at 65; it is all in your hands.” He states that bidding bye to a job does not mean bidding bye to life. Laughter is the spice of life. At the end, he has also shared with us some tips for a positive mindset.
The editor of the book Dr. M.L.Sood has stated that “life is like a puzzle. How you solve that puzzle depends on your life skills.” He has quoted a lengthy poem of Lee Tzu Pheng. The first few lines of this poem are very meaningful:
Sip your tea
nice and slow
no one ever knows
when it is time to go.
The poem is, of course, symbolic and it also has the connotation and denotation for taking life easy. In the preface, he has also stated that time and age are two such things that do not come back.
If we have a general view of this 357-page book, then we can conclude that some essays are not compatible with the name of the book. Some writers have simply indulged in detailing their hobbies and pastimes during their retired life. Some have indulged in extravaganza which could have been cut short. More stress should have been laid on the objective and reflective aspect of the topic. Some literary scholars could have been invited for making the book a world-level guide for the readers. Whatever has been done is appreciable but I would suggest that the editor should select 20 to 25 essays out of this plethora and have them published by an international publisher for making it a ‘best-seller book’ in the international market. Science, science all the way —-avoid it. Make it literature, science and social sciences — all the way.
