Taking a leaf out Sanjay Dutt starrer 'Munna Bhai-MBBS', an NGO is organising a "HUG" day here tomorrow to mark the International Elders Day, in an effort to bridge the divide between generations.
HelpAge India, an NGO working for the disadvantaged older people, is organising a walk down the Rajpath tomorrow which will see the participation of a expected 5,000 elderly people.
"HUG" stands for "Help Unite Generations", explains Sonali Sharma, one of the Directors at HelpAge. "This is a small attempt to bridge the gap between older and younger generations," she said.
HelpAge, which has been caring for the elderly for the past 37 years, feels there is a disturbing trend in the society where elders are increasingly feeling insecure.
"Their feeling of being unable to keep up with the fast-paced growth of technology in today's world of Internet, cell phones, iPad, laptops, where everything is just a touch away, often isolates them," says Sharma.
"The perception of 'knowing it all' seems to have shifted from elders to the youth. The young don't have patience to teach elders what comes naturally to them, this in turn isolates the elder from his own kin," she said.
The HUG programme is an attempt to send a message to the younger generation to spare time from their busy schedule and hug the elderly people at their homes or in neighbourhood at least once a day.
"Jadoo Ki Jhapi" (magical hug) dialogue of Dutt's 2003 movie was quite popular.
"Yes, this idea was born out of this movie to some extent. But the idea of our 'Jadoo ki Jhapi' is that young spend some time after a giving a hug to their elders," Sharma said.
India has an estimated 10 crore elderly people and the figure is projected to climb up to 32.4 crore by 2050.
The widening gap between generations and the feeling of isolation making its way deep into the psyche of the Indian elder needs to be addressed immediately, the HelpAge official said.
