Senior Citizen Marriages: The Beauty Of A Wonderful Beginning

By Dishi Solanki:

Love has no age, no limit; and no death. -John Galsworthy

Miss mortified:

“I am so furious right now. How in the sanest mind could he think of doing so? For heaven’s sake he is 58. I feel so sheepish to go out in public. Every time I tumble upon my neighbours I have to combat the wild question in their eyes “Is Your Dad getting married?”(At this AGE?)”

I am a zillion percent sure that there are multitudinous sons & daughters in this extremely liberal society of ours who look at old couples wishing to relive their lives, with despair. A parent who having lost his/her partner mid-way of their life has to consider and reconsider their so called “reprehensible” thought of remarrying just because they have crossed the age limit of marriage eligibility.

The diplomacy of our society does not fail to astound me yet again. Being a progressive thinker, I find it hard to parallel align my thoughts to the age versus love graph. A parent who nourishes his/her own child, takes care of every tiny detail that bothers them, is left to get choked in suffocation of loneliness just because of “What Will the Society Say” intimidation. As a youth each one of us has rush work hours and a list of myriad commitments, but with dwindling age, all one is left with is long days and sparser work. In such a scenario, the only person who can fulfill your days and life, is a partner. A partner who might not be dot perfect but would rather be in love with your imperfections.

Love comes with an age-no-bar clause & should be preached for the same. A remarriage provides an elder with an acceptable self-image and positive identity to one’s self-confidence. It is a treat to hear that there are intrepid thinkers and doers who are helping such single seniors find a match made on earth and fill the void of their lives. One such classic example is Mr. Shah from Gujarat, who each year without fail, in collaboration with Ahmadabad-based ‘Sarva Gyati Jivan Sathi Pasandgi Kendra‘ run by Natubhai Patel, organizes a ‘Senior citizens‘ marriage/live-in relationship convention‘ . According to him, there is a growing need to embracing such marriages as “There are so many senior citizens around us who lead a lonely life. Either their kids don’t want to stay with them or, like in most cases, the kids are settled abroad.” he says. In Gujarat alone they have managed to successfully resettle as many as 37 couples through marriage and almost 13 couples in live-in relationships. It comes as a reassurance with such incident that the mindset of society is not stagnant and although at a slow pace is opening its arms to welcome such cheerful second innings.

There’s an old Frank Sinatra song that tells us, “Love is lovelier the second time around.” I hope and wish that everyone with greying hair and wrinkled faces remain young at their heart and never stop looking for the enchanting feeling called love.