For a cause: Actor Tina Ambani with Priyanka Chopra and Gulshan Grover. Photo: PTINEW DELHI (The Hindu), October 31, 2007:
An actor who claims to have essayed more diverse characters off-screen than on-screen, Tina Ambani nee Munim is happiest talking about her role as a campaigner for empowerment of the aged.
Compelled by the desire to offer older people a more productive existence, Ms. Ambani through her non-government organisation Harmony for Silver’s Foundation has set out to address the concerns that come with age.
"The Harmony for Silver’s Foundation came up because I always desired to do something for the aged. It was not triggered by any one incident. It is something I have instinctively longed to do."
"Through the journey of my life I have been inspired by many people and I have subconsciously reacted strongly to certain incidents. I have felt the need to react with boldness to issues like maltreatment of the aged," she says, explaining her inclination towards changing perceptions about old age as declining years.
Conscious of the feeling of disgrace and the image of destitution that old age homes evoke, Ms. Ambani, who was in the Capital recently for the promotion of the Harmony Senior Citizens’ Run, has decide to invest in “interactive centres”.
"Old age homes are not perceived in a good way in our society. Since we want to give the older people a chance to live their life with dignity, we allow them an opportunity to interact with their peers and explore their hidden talents at our interactive centres," she explains.
Empowerment for men and women in their advanced years comes from interaction, experimenting with their skills and exhibiting their forte.
"At a show we held on October 3 to commemorate the International Senior Citizen’s Day in Mumbai we had 23 members of the Harmony Interactive Centre, all of them between 50 and 75 years, perform to Shiamak Davar’s choreography. We had 64-year-old Gospi Kapadia, a fourth-degree black belt in karate demonstrate the need to learn self-defence."
While the star who reigned the silver screen during the 1970s and the 1980s has no plans of documenting the travails of old age in a film, she does believe that youngsters, especially school-going children, need to be sensitised about age.
"There is a need to create sensitivity and awareness. We need to tell the younger generation that they need older people. To move ahead in life, the youngsters will need the expertise and the experience of the older generation. And it is this involvement in our day-to-day lives that makes the older people happy. They are always willing to share and contribute."
Ms. Ambani, who is a fervent believer in "living life to the fullest", says including silvers in everyday community living should gain precedence over the norm of relegating them to the fringes of social life.
"Old age is not about retiring. It is about living life with grace and dignity," she concludes.
By Smriti Kak Ramachandran
© Copyright 2000 - 2007 The Hindu
