My elder daughter Kavitha and her husband witnessed the special Onam programme staged at the meditation hall during their visit to Nana Nani, Phase 4 (NNP4), a senior citizen Home in Coimbatore where I am living now. She had earlier seen the videos of various entertainment programmes held at NNP4, which I share with my family. After seeing the latest programme on Ramayana, she commented, “Appa, you people seem to be having so much fun. I feel like moving to Nana Nani right away.” She is only 51.
That set me thinking. Is a senior citizen home only for seniors
and super seniors, or can others in their fifties and early sixties also make
such facilities their Homes? My quest led me to a young couple in their fifties
who have been making waves in our community for the last few months, taking an
active part in many of the entertainment programmes staged here. Meera is a
talented dancer and singer, and her husband Krishna Kumar (KK) is an A/V
expert. Here is their story.
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KK did his M.Sc (Maths) from IIT Chennai and M.Tech Computer Science
from IIT Kharagpur . Starting his career as a Systems Analyst in TCS in 1991,
he worked for 30 years in the Information Technology Industry working for quite
a few IT companies, getting posted to different countries, managing big
projects. His last stint before he called it a day was with HSBC, Buffalo, USA,
as a Senior Management Consultant.
Meera did her schooling in Mumbai where she did her B.Com and diploma in Computer science. Both belonging to
the Marathi speaking community in Tanjore got married in 1995 in an arranged
marriage. KK was 28 and Meera 23. They started their married life in Chennai
before KK`s career took them to different parts of the world.
KK says ,”During my career days, I was mostly confined to the
corporate work culture, and did not have any time to take part in any stage
shows” .
Meera had learnt Bharatha Natyam during her school days and used
to actively participate in her school annual day functions. She was also part
of a dance troupe in her residential complex in Bombay. There was a long gap
when she did not participate in any programmes.
KK decided to call it a day in 2019 at the age of 52 and
returned to Chennai, and started looking for a better place to settle down,
where the weather would be better and the couple could enjoy a peaceful life. A
friend recommended Nana Nani in Coimbatore. The experience of a brief stay in
NNP4 convinced them that this is the place where they would like to settle
down. Since they did not have any unfulfilled family responsibilities, they
decided to get a rented accommodation in Phase 4 in May 2023. Both did not know
that it was a move which would open up a new world where their hidden creative
talents would come to the fore and they would embark on a journey full of fun
activities.
Meera says, “ Immediately after we moved in here, I was pulled
into one of the active cultural groups headed by Vidyaji ( Vidya Venktachalam-
a popular organizer of dance based events). I was very hesitant at first but
said okay to her. It was my first performance since I left school. The event
was held in June2023 for the NNP4 Anniversary Celebrations. My performance on
the stage was appreciated by all. Many thought I was a professional dancer .
This motivated me to become a part of all dance programmes since then.
As regards my singing, Vijayaji ( Vijaya Rajagopal , another
leader of programmes based on singing) one day invited me to her place to
listen to a few people singing. But once there she coaxed me to sing. Everyone
liked my voice. Encouraged by the team I sang the song `Vaseegara` from the
film Minnale – my first attempt at using the Karaoke facility at a programme
held in August,2024, became a big hit and people started calling me `Vaseegari
Meera`. Now I have become a part of all singing programmes here. Recently I
participated in a progamme on Ramayana conducted by Vijayaji in which I sang a
few Hindi Bhakthi songs. This was also my first attempt.”
When I asked her about her role in `The Virtual Show - a unique
idea combining dance, songs and a seven part comedy skit all presented in the
form of videos interspersed with live anchoring by Vidya and Meera, this was
her response.
“ The Virtual show was my first attempt at organising an event
here with another talented resident Meena Kumari Sharma who had designed the
Virtual Show. With my husband KK providing top quality audio /video support and
many residents displaying their singing, dancing and acting talents ,the show
got an overwhelming response from the audience”.
She continued,” I have participated in all the cultural events
conducted by Vidyaji since I came here. I have also started assisting her in
all events organized by the `The Dream Team`` in NNP4 consisting of Vidyaji,
Usha Giridhar, my husband KK and myself”
There are many new ideas that the Dream Team is working on
including the one for the New Year.
Looking at the high quality of A/V Presentations witnessed in these
programmes, I thought KK was a trained audio/Visual expert. He surprised me
with his answer.
“I was involved in a stage show for the first time only in Aug
2023 after coming to NNP4. I picked up the audio-visual presentation skills on
my own after coming here. Since I had a firm background in the IT Industry it
was easier for me to understand different technical aspects of AV
presentations. Besides, both Meera and I are movie buffs who keenly observe how
the scenes are shot in a movie, and pick up a few techniques from them as well.
Every cultural program in NNP4 has its own technical challenges and I make sure
I upgrade myself to meet those challenges and that is my passion as well”.
Having seen all the programmes since I moved into NNP4 I would
say that KK`s role in taking them to great heights is significant. This young
and popular couple is so busy participating in many cultural programmes here
that they have no time for anything else.
I know that they are enjoying every moment judging by Meera`s Comments
, “We did not choose NNP4, rather NNP4 has chosen us. To those who ask us why
we have moved to a senior citizen home at such a young age, my answer is that
such homes are ideal for people who want to lead a peaceful life after
retirement . They also get opportunities to discover their hidden talents or
pursue their passions for which they had no time earlier; encouraged by a
supportive audience of friendly residents. Age does not matter here.”
Yes,
any Senior Citizen Home which offers all the facilities required by seniors and
has a vibrant and active community is an ideal `Home away from Home` for those
who have fulfilled their family and other responsibilities, where one can lead
a ` life without responsibilities`, and are aged above 50. Because all the
Homes admit as residents only those who are 50 plus. Age does matter if you
want to be a resident in Senior Citizen Home but It doesn`t matter for
participating in all the fun and other spiritual activities in such Homes.
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