More men in old age home portray grim reality

The high number of males in an Ahmedabad old age home portrays a grim reality of the society.

Nowadays, almost all the old age homes in India are fully occupied. Same goes for the one in Ahmedabad's Jeevan Sandhya.

Today, rising inflation has forced every member of a family to earn. While who can't earn are left alone in the house. This is the main reason that Ahmedabad's Jeevan Sandhya has more males than females.

Talking to ANI, Suketu Nagarwadia, a trustee of Jeevan Sandhya old Age home, says, "Today, people need free maid service, so they keep their mothers with them as they can do household works and even take care of their children. But, the father, who raised the son, is not given any space in the house. Since the old fathers cannot earn, so they land up in the old age homes due to the torture back at their homes."

Another trustee, Cavas Sethna said the old age home was opened in the 1950s.

"People in late 1950s opposed the idea of old age home. But, still, we opened it. Today, after living in this society I feel that our decision was correct," said Sethna.

One Subramani Veluar is forced to live in the Jeevan Sandhya despite having his own house.

"I bought a house using my entire life's savings. After my wife's death, I lived with my son. But, later I was tortured by my son's wife. And, soon after my son started beating me and later he threw me out of my own house," Veluar told ANI.

He alleged that his son threatened to kill him if he entered the house.

"He even warned me not to enter the house. If I will, he will kill me. This is all because till I could earn; I had a place in the house. But, today I can't work or earn so they threw me out of the house," Veluar said.