USA: What, me retire?

For some people, age is just a number -- like the Energizer Bunny, they just keep going and going and going. NAM editor Viji Sundaram profiles one of them, Harikrishna Majmundar, who has worked tirelessly for his senior fellow Indian Americans for nearly 25 years. PALO ALTO, California (New California Media), March 27, 2008: When Harikrishna Majmundar was recovering from surgery after suffering a stroke two years ago, he spent his rehab time in a hospital catching up on the British classics, putting the finishing touches on a textbook on algebra he was writing, and advising an endless stream of visitors about how to navigate the U.S. welfare and health care system. That may not sound like much, except that Majmundar was 86 at the time, and the stroke he was recovering from had paralyzed him from the neck down. “He said it was it was one of the best times he ever had,” says his daughter, Matra. “Other patients in rehab were complaining. He just kept going on and on. And he fully recovered.” Majmundar came to the United States with his wife, Premlata, at age 65, after retiring as an administrator with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Trombay, India. Since then, Majmundar has worked 10 to 12 hours a day, seven days a week, helping elderly South Asian immigrants get the medical and welfare benefits they are entitled to. From California to New York, Michigan to Texas, his services have been sought by immigrants and their children, as word got around that the California “Dada” (the Hindi word for grandpa) knew how to work the system. “Elders are not even aware of what’s available out there,” Majmundar says. “And when they can’t present their case properly, they suffer.” Scores of elderly South Asians come to the United States to spend their twilight years with their children, but they often don’t know how to access welfare or health care. Majmundar, who studied law and mathematics while in college, still spends endless hours in law libraries honing up on U.S. immigration and welfare laws. The author of two books, including “Mapping the Maze: A Guide to Welfare for Elderly Immigrants,” and numerous newspaper columns, and a frequent voice on South Asian radio and television in the United States, Majmundar has made the focus of his life to help elderly immigrants. He estimates that over the years, at least 1,000 elderly South Asians have sought his help to access Social Security, Medicare and Medical. “Earlier, when I began doing this, I was not motivated by passion” or compassion, Majmundar acknowledges frankly. “I just wanted to taste victory.” When a judge rejected the appeal of an elderly Indian American immigrant Majmundar was representing about 15 years ago, saying he was not entitled to Social Security because of his immigration status, Majmundar did not back down. He waved a book he pulled out from his briefcase titled, “Mapping the Maze: A Guide to Welfare for Elderly Immigrants.” “Your honor,” Majmundar said politely but firmly, “under U.S. law, this gentleman is entitled to SSI. This book will show you that.” The judge glared at the silver-haired Majmundar. “Who wrote that book?” he asked. “I did,” replied Majmundar. “What do you think you are doing?” asked the judge. “You are showing me a book you have written to prove your point.” “I may have written the book, but what it says is what you will find in your computer if you research the subject,” Majmundar said. Within a couple of hours, Majmundar says he and his client were heading to a restaurant to celebrate their victory with a glass of beer. “And the judge took five copies of my book,” Majmundar says, smiling broadly. For Majmundar, an average day begins with two hours of aerobics, Tai Chi and yoga at the Palo Alto Community Center, followed by at least a “10,000-step walk” in the neighborhood, and a couple of hours spent reading the New York Times, USA Today and the San Jose Mercury News. To save him a daily trip to the library, his son-in-law, Raj Mashruwala, a few years ago helped him become computer savvy so he could read the newspapers online. That also helps him work with his clients online. Majmundar acknowledges that he could have spent his retirement in the United States in leisure, with his affluent daughter taking care of his every need. “But if he had done that, he would not have blossomed the way he has,” says daughter Matra. He’s almost 89 now, still goes on an occasional speaking engagement. In 2000, the California Assembly recognized him with the Tony Sykes Memorial Award for his “outstanding work in the area of human rights and human relations in the County of Santa Clara.” Mention the word “retirement” to him, and you know right away that that thought has never crossed his mind. “If I don’t get at least two or three calls for help by 9 a.m., I get really anxious,” Majmundar says as he sits, cell phone in hand, in the elegant living room of his daughter’s South Bay home. “I’ve never come across such a selfless person like him,” asserts 48-year-old Malti Patel, of Dallas, who was so inspired by Majmundar’s volunteer work to help an elderly member of her family get Social Security that she has begun helping elderly immigrants herself. With Majmundar’s help, Patel has written her own book for elderly immigrants titled, “Lifting the Mists: A Simple Guide to a Complex Welfare System.” “If I am going to be old, I want to be like Dada (Grandpa),” she says. By Viji Sundaram, March 27, 2008 New America Media, News Feature Copyright © Pacific News Service