India is now home to about a 100 million people over the age of 60 and this number is expected to reach 320 million by 2050. This presents an economic challenge to our country because of the costs involved in their healthcare. But more importantly it is ballooning into a moral crisis. With growing materialism, humanitarian values like love and respect towards the elderly are fast depleting in the younger generation. The exponential growth in the number of old age homes in India does not augur well for the old and the moral foundations of our society.

The latest report from Health Age India states that one in three elderly people are abused in the country. In addition, the report also states that 50 per cent of the abuse comes within the family and in 56 per cent of the cases the abuse was from the son. In one of the leading metros, only 52.7 per cent of children assist their elderly parents during sickness.

India always prides itself as a civilisation where the old are honoured. Where experience and wisdom of the elderly is something to be cherished and treasured. However, with modernisation, consumerism and individualism this idea seems to be a thing of the past and the old are now seen as a commodity that has outlived its value and needs to be recycled at the minimum cost and effort.

A visit to your nearest old age home will easily provide you stories of how these poor creatures were sinisterly discarded by their own kin. Some were surreptitiously admitted to the old age home while some others were admitted to hospital and then dumped altogether.

While the living conditions in the old age home varies with the amount of charity and funds available with the administrators, the emotional trauma of being neglected and marginalised into the fringe of society is something that is quite unbearable for all.

They have some celebrations occasionally to lighten up the moment, but the pain and suffering of confinement and emptiness stalks them leading to a myriad of psychic conditions like depression and related affected disorders.

Why do people forget that it is their parents which took care of them when they were small, insignificant and needy? Now it is their turn to pay back and look after them in their hour of need. If they don’t then their children too will discard them in the future. Now would they like that?

There was a man doing á¹­awāf of the Ka’aba during Hajj and was carrying an elderly lady on the back. When he recognised Ibn ‘Abbās (a companion of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be to him) he came running to him and said, “O Ibn ‘Abbās, I have come from such-and-such place (a faraway place in the area of Iraq) and this lady on my back is my mother. She had the desire to come for Hajj for so many years, but we couldn’t afford a camel or a horse, so I put her on the back and have come from that place in order to perform the Hajj. Have I now fulfilled the rights of my mother on me?” Ibn ‘Abbās smiled and said, “What you have done is good, but you haven’t even fulfilled a fraction of what your mother did for you.”

The Holy Qur’ān (17:23) says “….and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour”. This commandment has to make a comeback in people’s lives for the elderly to regain their position as ordained by God.