by B. R. GOWANI
whatever the age, feelings and desires thrive in human beings
Sahir Ludhianvi’s poetry reflected this, and Rafi’s voice took it higher:
meri chAhat rahegi hameshA jawaN
my love (for you) will always stay youthful
bones get fragile , loosening of muscles occur, lack of balance leads to falls …
then follows depression, inherited or due to being ignored by family
and there may be dependence for food —
due to weakness & illness, many a times financial constraints, too
most senior people’s lives get restricted to four khAnAs or places:
- jama’atkhana, i.e., community place for worship and meeting
- anaajkhana, i.e., food place or kitchen
- kakuskhana, i.e., toilet – due to lack of control & digestion problems
- dawakhana – clinic or hospital visits become frequent and painful
an amazingly vibrant life reduced, almost invariably, to these conditions …
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com