& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Aged, useless

30 not served lunch as staff at old home get busy with International Day of Older Persons

Emran Hossain
They possess higher degrees, beautiful houses and pieces of land. They have built fine houses over the years with every touch of love and affection. Ironically, they cannot live there anymore; they have rather become residents of Bangladesh Probin Hitoishi Sangha and Jora Bigyan Protishthan in Agargaon in the capital.
Sometimes, when there is no one to give company or even offer a cup of tea in the morning, even a fine beautiful house -whether it is in the over-populated city like Dhaka or elsewhere -- may be unusable, unworthy to live in.
"I could not live alone in a house. During the first days after I arrived here it felt bad. But now I have been used to it," says Mira Chowdhury, wife of former ILO director Joseph Chowdhury, who passed away seven years ago.
"My son has asked me to live with him in the US. But I won't go there. How will I live there, leaving my country," adds Mira Chowdhury, who owns a house on Dilu Road in Eskaton in the capital and is going to sell it.
She lives in around 7 feet by 15 feet place at the old home, which is probably her last house. The place is everything about her family and home where she nurtures orchids and likes to have flowers as gift.
It has been one and a half years since Mira came here. During this time her daughter visited her once and that time she was seriously ill. Wie ^atlu Star
Only a photograph taken on her first wearing of saree reveals a glimpse of her peaceful past. She also has photographs of her mother, husband and a model named Joya pasted on a small piece of wall.
"The model visited me one day and talked to me at the Sangha. So I kept her photograph on the wall and used to call her on occasions," says Mira staring at the lonely cane-made chair, which she has brought with her as a symbol of her past.
"I forgot to bring the photographs of my children. I have left those home," Mira adds.
Her only son Swapan Chowdhury works with the UNDP and currently lives in the US.
"He (her son) does not want to return to the country. Why will he return? What for? In Bangladesh we have nothing - -no job, no business," says Mira, adding she has become lifetime member of the Sangha.
"My only tension Is that my son does not want to marry." she expresses her anxiety.
On her expectations, she says. "I pray to God to take me before I become unable to move."
Her daily routine is having morning walk at 5:30am after a cup of tea, reading books, newspapers and chatting with doctors, nurses and visitors.
"We, me, my son, and my daughter, completed masters in 1978 from Dhaka University the same year as my son denied sitting for the exam without me. It was really fun. I miss those days." Mira says as she
recollects her old days of happiness and a smile spreads over her face.
Her life was adventurous all the way as she learned cycling at the age of four and began riding motorcycle during graduation.
As yesterday was International Day of Older Persons staffs of the Sangha were off to different programmes organised by the government and nongovernment organisations. As a result, there was no lunch for the 30 old people currently staying at the Sangha.
Mira had her previous night's dinner saved. She had her lunch and saved some for Nargis, a newcomer.
"Leaving a home that is built over the last 55 years with every touch of love and affection is unbearable, especially for a woman. 1 have left home with only a simple handbag. 1 didn't want to, but was compelled." says Nargis Sufia Haque, a new entrant at the Probin Nibash.
Wife of former superintended of police Fazlul Haque Bashu Mia, Nargis left home as her daughters began quarrelling for 74 decimals of land belonging to her.
"The far loved ones stay the better relationship remains. You cannot get love and affection by force unless it comes from the core of heart. It is hard living alone," Nargis adds as her next-bed neighbour Mira fixes date on her manual desk calendar by changing digits with fluttering hands.