Community

Age is no bar for

living full life

By Ritu Ghai urpassing the vicissitudes of old age, two youthfully aged persons talk about having no time to think and ponder about how old they are. Krishna Sharma, 79 and Krishna Arora, 85, have probably tasted the fountain of youth. They are busy, happy and living life on their own terms. However, their first names are purely coincidental. These two abhi-toh-main-jawaan-hoon people have shown us that time clock does not stop but ageing can be delayed. Their mantra for living is they enjoy what they are doing. A few tips to live long and healthy are: Be active Be optimistic Do not oversleep. More than eight hours is unhealthy; Eat well and add antioxidants to your diet like blueberries and cinnamon; Exercise regularly and lose weight; Start saving or investing wisely as you will need that cash to not only sustain yourself but also enjoy life and chill out with friends; Socializing, emotional stability and openness to learn new things can actually redefine the concept of old age.

Krishna Sharma Age with no side effects

and you come across a sensitive, caring and social person who likes to attend parties and get-togethers, travelling to new places and spending time with his grandchildren. I meet my old time friends and feel indulgent warmth towards our school days memories. As we take a trip down memory lane, a youthful spirit infuses into me and I actually start feeling younger. I believe that interacting with friends reverses aging, says Krishna Sharma. Father to three daughters, Krishna Sharma has always been taken care of by his children, especially after the death of his wife in 2001. I have a daughter settled in Melbourne and two are in India. So its home for me in both the countries. I love interacting with my eldest grandson, Ashish, a Yale

Krishna Arora taking cookery classes at 85 years of age

graduate and my only granddaughter, a doctor in Singapore. Back home in India, I spend my time playing brain games with my grandsons, Shaurya in class 12 and Shubham in class 9. My eldest daughter has a son with slow learning abilities and I devote time in making him learn new things of his level of understanding. An inner satisfaction is felt, each and every time he responds, explains Mr Sharma. Sharing his old age experience with his children and grandchildren, he is shaping their personalities and trying to inculcate values of family and culture in them. Probably this is where his zest for life comes Krishna Sharma with grandsons Shubham and Shaurya from. Also the fact that he admires the evergreen hero of t the age of 79, he holds a responsible post in the office, lives in Yemen and greets every day with a new Indian cinema, Dev Anand, has something to do with Krishna spirit and more work. Whatever free time he gets, he Sharmas penchant for living life to the fullest. Enjoying working is the secret of staying young. I know enjoys Internet browsing, reading his emails which are mostthat genes affect your health and longevity but a lot depends ly work related and a few inspirational ones from his friends. Before leaving for his office, he updates his Facebook status on lifestyle and an optimistic attitude. I adhere to 'Satvik' and and never forgets to throw in a comment or two on his daugh- controlled (fibrous) bhojan and working hard with a relaxed mood, he says. ters pictures. I always remember one poem by poet Walter D Wintle: Still actively working, Krishna Sharma is presently based If you think you are beaten, you are. in the Republic of Yemen on a water resources development If you think you dare not, you don't. project under the World Bank guidelines. With 45 years of If you'd like to win but think you can't, experience in water resources planning, design, management It's almost certain you won't. and development of water resources projects, he is actually a Life's battles don't always go storehouse of knowledge on water related solutions. To the stronger or faster man, Having worked in Iraq, Nepal, Lao Peoples Democratic But sooner or later, the man who wins Republic and extensively in India, Krishna Sharma has a work Is the man who thinks he can. experience that can be better explained in a biography than in Krishna Sharma believes in the verse from Bhagwat Gita an article. But dig beneath this always-at-work facade of his Karmanye Vadhikaraste, Ma phaleshou kada chana - Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani which means - You have the right to perform your actions, but you are not entitled to the fruits of the actions. Do not let the fruit be the purpose of your actions, and therefore you wont be attached to not doing your duty.

Hall of Fame for this lady

e take a look at the humming life of Krishna Arora and find that there is nothing boring or expected about this 85-year-young lady. Settled in Melbourne, Krishna Arora has never been so busy as she is now. She came to Australia in 1992 as her daughter wanted her to join the family in Melbourne. Before coming here, I had taught in The Institute of Hotel Management on Pusa Road in New Delhi for several years and joined the Asian Memorial Institute of Hotel Management and Catering in Chennai as their Founder Principal. After working there for six years, I moved to Australia and have been here ever since. When I came here, I found that a majority of the migrants were lonely and to get rid of this loneliness they did community work. I thought it was a great idea and embarked on the same. I even worked in an Op shop for six years voluntarily. Having led a busy life in India, I was equally determined to be active here. Soon enough I was able to adjust here with ease and lan, happily working with my community work. I also started tele-cooking services and writing food recipes for a monthly community paper. I am happy that the seniors here seem to be enjoying themselves. The Australian Government takes good care of them, she says. Krishna Arora has been an active participant of community events and she has even organized catering services for 29 days continuously for 1,100 people in Melbourne. Krishna Arora is also a co-founder of the Indian Senior Citizens Association. Into community service for two decades, Krishna Arora has always been appreciated for her work. And the accolades have continued to flow in especially after she was honoured with the Shilling Wall Tribute award by the multicultural commission of the Australian state of Victoria for her outstanding contribution to the community. With her name engraved on Queen Victorias Women Centre (QVWC) Wall, Krishna Arora refuses to slow down or even stop for a while and ponder over her age. Ha! Its just a number. I have so much to do still, she laughs it off and dashes off to yet another task.

18 THE INDIAN DOWN UNDER May-June 2013