Expo for the retired

HYDERABAD: A two-day event organised by Dignity foundation brought together customized products and services from various banks, insurance companies, health professionals, housing societies and so on aimed at facilitating senior citizens. About 20 stalls including banks, insurance companies, pharmaceuticals, fitness centers, spas, senior citizens' housing societies, assisted living device manufacturers, health professionals and multi-professional gurus of active living were set up to employ people who have retired early and are seeking a second hand at making another career. “The days of portraying the old as the depressed and dying is passé. Today’s senior citizens as attested by this vibrant, bubbling crowd here, are raring to go. The 30 million senior citizens in this country demand conveniences, special products and services equal to what you find abroad,” said Dr. Shellu Sreenivasan, president of Dignity foundation.Activities like physiotherapy for quality of Life, managing kitchen and garden waste, healthy ageing, personality enhance techniques, travel and photography, potentiography, awaken the spiritual me, besides corporate presentations and other activities such as health screening, mehendi, caricature/ paintings by artist Chitra Mitra and games such as bingo, tug of war, sudoku and crossword  were conducted.Dr Mukunda Rao, who was felicitated at the expo said, “There are about 40 million retired citizens belonging to the  middle class social structure who were arbitrarily made to retire under the retirement plan of India. This expo is an oriental method of approach in changing the static marginalised population  into productive citizens who will contribute towards the development of the  economy.”The expo was inaugurated by Justice Subhashan Reddy at Taj Deccan on Saturday. Supporting the initiative, he said, “Many laws are enacted in India in the interest of the marginalised population who can be used productively if they are implemented, but India is poor in implementation of Laws.” The event  also felicitated accomplished senior citizens in the city like Gelli Narayana Chetty, IAS, Dr B K Sahay, Diabetologist,  R N Mittal, Dr Mukunda Rao of United Nations and Dr Gangadharan of Heritage Hospital.