Pranab Saikia/Pranabtoi@gmail.com
Second Innings Centre- an elderly people take care and recreational centre under the initiative of Mrs Punam Soni doing Yeomen Services for the elderly people of Gurgaon.
Elderly people from 60 years to 90years are regular visitors. They come here chat with each other, eat together breakfast and launch, play games and sports, and celebrate on different occasions like New Years, Lohri, Christmas, Janmashtami, Holi etc.
“I am 81 years old and I was verydepressed before joining this centre. Now I meet people of my age, talk to each other, exchange my view and socialise with other ladies and gents. I feel I am 18 years old. I feel no depression and loneliness due to the age factor. Every week I patiently wait to go to Second Innings and boast my morale,” said Mrs Raj Rani 81 years old senior citizen.
The centre is located at DLF Phase 1Gurgaon and it was founded by Mrs Poonam Soni a few years back. “Lots of senior citizens come here with depression, old age-related problems like - back and
neck pain and osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, depression
and dementia. But once they join here they recover from these diseases and get cured. Looking at the smiling faces of the elderly people we are socialising and become active spontaneously our morale is boasted,” said Poonam Soni, Founder of Second Innings.
Recently all the senior citizens ofthe second innings had gone for an outing to celebrate Christmas at Galiyara farm in Gurgaon. They played Tambola and other Gameswith the energy and stamina of young people.
“It was a day-out picnic from 11 amto 4 pm with unlimited beverages, snacks and lunch. It was a gathering of 30 members of Second Innings. Veena Chandana, Veena Arora, Kusum Mishra, Raj Ravi,
Arvind Nagpal, P Nagpal, Kavita Kakkar, Meena Grover and Veena Bablani etc. actively participated in the event,” said Musarrat Warsi, Manager at Second Innings.
“Really life is indeed a celebration at Second Innings centre . Our perspective on old age has changed here. We are no more lonely senior citizen. Together we celebrate life here, share our joy and happiness. Life has taken a new sojourn full of bliss,” said Manju Ahuja, another attendee in the Centre and a resident of DLF-1.
It is not just celebration andsocialising, members join humanitarian work also. They collected old clothes, rations and old utensils from their home and send these items for the widow mothers of Radhakund Vrindavan. Poonam Soni herself donated 20 blankets for the widow mothers of Radhakund Vrindavan recently.
And last but not least, it is also agreat relief for the family members of these elderly people when they see their mother, father, and grandparents more cheerful and happy and a change in their ageing personalities after joining at the Second Innings it becomes a meaningful second innings of their life.
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