ELDERS DAY FUNCTION AT RAJ BHAVAN on October 16, 2022: It was bright sunshine-filled day for about 80 senior citizens from various old age homes in Goa! They said hello to the Governor of Goa PS Sreedharan Pillai, along with IMA Goa State doctors and Manipal Hospital dignitaries who had collaborated in organizing this day.
GOA really has a good sport in Governor Shreedharan Pillai and First Lady Rita Pillai! The kind hearted governor doesn’t stand on ceremony and throws open the doors of the Raj Bhavan to just about anyone who would enjoy a visit as a happy outing. This time it was a sunny day out for the elders of several senior citizen homes in Goa at the Raj Bhavan on Sunday, October 16, 2022.
Governor Shreedharan Pillai and First Lady Rita who welcomed the guests at the Darbar Hall….and handed over letters entitling the representatives of six old age homes, to benefit from such useful things as foldable wheechairs, regular foldable walkers, walking sticks, tripod and quadripod walking sticks, along with blood pressure apparatus, glucometer with gluco strips and some more first aid stuff useful in emergencies.
The gifts were all about thinking about the elderly in a collaborative venture between the Indian Medical Council and Manipal Hospital. Speaking on the occasion Indian Medical Association President Dr Rufino Monteiro explained that the IMA theme for the year was “Care of the old with a heart of gold” and in this respect he warmly thanked Governor Pillai for making monetary grants to all the IMA branches so tht they may carry forward this year’s mission of serving the elderly.
The governor in turn spoke about how elders were suffering due to lack of joint family systems today and with children staying abroad – lonely parents left behind in their native place. He was familiar with such scenes even in his own home state of Kerala, said Governor Pillaoi and his heart reached out to the lonely elderly people. He welcomed the seniors to come and enjoy the scenic beauty of the Raj Bhavan, with prior arrangement of course for reasons of security.
IT was heart-warming scene to see! About 70 something elderly women and men from various caretaking homes from around Goa coming to take in the sights of the Raj Bhavan, bask in the sun, say hello to the ever gracious Governor Shridharan Pillai and First Lady Rita Pillai and the doctors of the Indian Medical Council and dignitaries of the Manipal Hospital who had worked hard to fine-tune the outing for the elderly citizens, many of them in their 80s but who were quite sprightly and happily took an interest in the events of the Sunday afternoon….as they soaked in the bright sunshine out on the Raj Bhavan lawns and posed for photographs.
Later on there was a sumptuous lunch laid out for the elderly guests, something they enjoyed at the grand dining table as well as also out in the sunlit gallery overlooking the Raj Bhavan gardens. Afterwards the seniors wandered around looking at the beautiful objet d’art adorning the beautiful heritage venue of the Raj Bhavan before they were dropped back to their various homes across Goa.
