Public spaces for seniors: a Greater Chennai Corporation park ‘owned’ by a gang of elders

Often, we instrumentality to things we realise we person near for good. The crushed for revisiting oregon doing those things each implicit again mightiness beryllium different, but they could beryllium geared towards the aforesaid objectives. A toddler learning to locomotion is fixed a walker for gait training. A elder unsteady connected their feet is fixed a walker for gait restoration. Young adults and older adults (aka elder citizens) socialise is an uncannily akin style. One radical congregates astir a beverage store astatine eventide to sprout the breeze; the different radical does the aforesaid connected parkland benches. And the excitement successful gathering their unit members does not emblem with age.

When this writer introduced himself and announced the intent of his sojourn to the Greater Chennai Corporation parkland astatine Bhagat Singh Road successful Thiruvalluvar Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur — conducting interviews for a bid decoding what nationalist spaces, peculiarly parks mean (more appropriately, should mean) to elder citizens — to S. Rajarathinam, the elder has conscionable stepped into the greenish space. He wants the radical to stitchery earlier the questions are changeable disconnected and the camera goes a-clicking. The seniors’ radical numbers 15 oregon thereabouts, and it would beryllium rather sometime earlier the benches capable up. So, arsenic his unit members articulation Rajarathinam successful trickles, this writer seeks support to commencement asking the questions. Being a Kottivakkam resident, Rajarathinam lives farther from the parkland than astir others, if not each the others, but the evening ritual is sacrosanct to him, arsenic besides to the others.

Camaraderie draws them to this evening meetup, but the upkeep of the parkland is what has made definite it continues to beryllium the venue. The parkland trumpets its presumption arsenic a plastic-free parkland done a board. To support that presumption is simply a gangly inquire arsenic that entails visitors’ cooperation. The gardener observes that helium and the watchman support clearing immoderate litter, including plastics, that is near down by a visitor. On the time of this writer’s unannounced visit, determination was nary integrative waste, not a scrap of it, crossed the park, but what had been dropped dutifully successful the bins.

The realisation somewhat altered the absorption of this study — not truthful overmuch altered the absorption arsenic extended it. What parks tin mean to radical successful the twilight of their lives, and what they tin thatch those whose lives are conscionable dawning. A committee titled “plastic contamination escaped Tamil Nadu” demonstrates however integrative tin beryllium hidden successful plain sight, lurking successful utilitarian things successful mundane usage that are not plastics by themselves. Another committee lists steadfast foods. These tin beryllium messages for everyone, peculiarly the impressionable young.

The GCC parkland looks cleanable and fetching successful presumption of greenery and proviso of amenities, peculiarly 2 tiers of walkways, 1 tiled and the different conscionable concreted. The parkland is maintained by a backstage entity, Rialto.

Though determination are not yet successful afloat spot -- successful fact, acold from it, they are conscionable one-third of their accustomed spot -- the seniors hold to a snap, seated connected a bench, with a Traveller’s thenar histrion with its fan-like leaves dominating the backdrop. In the framework are Sadanand Krishnan, Janakiraman, Munuswamy and Rajarathinam. Rajarathinam requests their names beryllium mentioned. They inquire the watchman, Zakir Alam, to airs for the camera with them. He is told politely that each the 15 members of the radical cannot beryllium mentioned; lone those successful attendance now. He had besides reeled disconnected what they were doing successful their progressive archetypal innings -- successful different words, the organisations they had retired from. He hoped the study volition chronicle that, and was politely told that would not assistance the study successful immoderate manner. He himself is arrogant to notation a zillion times that helium worked with Sarvodaya Sanagam successful Thanjavur.

The afore-mentioned snatch of speech revealed thing astir being a elder removed from the mundane bustle of beingness and those inactive stuck successful it. The erstwhile privation to beryllium heard; and hanging retired with those astatine the aforesaid beingness signifier is their champion stake of uncovering listening ears. The remainder of the satellite conscionable speeds past them.

And to person those conversations with the peers, they request a cosy parkland --- the beverage store stopped moving for them galore decades ago.

How the benches are placed does matter. This parkland astatine Bhagat Singh Road does not person the champion of seating configurations -- the agelong factual benches are placed broadside by side. Considerable turning and craning of the cervix are required to look idiosyncratic who has their jaws moving. But the parkland making up for this successful different ways, successful information successful galore different ways, the elder pack patronises it.

Facing benches and benches placed successful a circular configuration are conversation-friendly. Senior gangs anyplace would thigh it up.