Field Study

Sumaiya Khan with Mrs. Anuradha Advani.

Sumaiya Khan had the privilege to meet Mrs. Anuradha Advani, the founder of "Anubandh Old Age Home" - yes the first Old Age Home of Jodhpur which was established on 25th November 2002.With two storey building and covering an area of 13500 sq. feet. This home gives all the modern facilities and it is free of cost. Elderly between 70 to 96 years resides over here. The "Anubandh" is located on the outskirts of  Jodhpur away from any kind of noise or pollution.


Here is the interview with Mrs. Anuradha Advanai:-


Q1 - What made you think of this (Old Age HOme), was this because of any incident or case that prompted you to do so?
Ans- No, no case or incident is related to it. i did not have any big plan or idea. I woke up one morning and thought of doing this. I discussed this idea of opening an Old Age home with my husband and he supported me for the same. It was God's will for this pious work.


Q2 - What all difficulties did you face?
Ans - We had lot of teething problems in the beginning, there were skepticism, social, economical and cultural issues which were big difficulties to overcome.
People started avoiding me because they felt i may ask them for donation or any other help. There was a good amount of indifference towards the project among people. People took it for a fraud.
 I had to resort part time job to earn when there were financial problems.


Q3 - How did you feel when you got your first admission?
Ans- Honestly speaking i did not want anybody to come here, i did not want anybody to leave their house or children.


Q4-  Have you got any help from any NGO or Government?
Ans - No, i have not got any help. NGO and government support is just zero. I am very disappointed regarding NGO's or Government.


Q5- Elderly over here are Locals or from other places too? If yes how do they come?
Ans - They are locals as well as from all over India like Bengal, Hyderabad, Phalodi, Mt. Abu, Gujarat, Nashik.  The people from other places come here by my newspaper articles which are published all over India. They bring the new paper cutting with them.


Q6 - Do their  relatives come here to meet them?
Ans Yes they do come, some of them take their parents back, i also call these people's children for counselling. When they realise their mistakes they take them back to home.

                          Daily Routine of Elderly People in Anubandh

06:30am   - Tea

08:30       - Breakfast- Poha or Daliya or Uthappam

After breakfast they take bath.

11:00am - 12:00pm -  Lunch - 1 greeb vegetable, Pulses, Rice, Chapatti, Mango juice and curd (in summers)

After lunch they get-together in Hall and sing some religious songs and watch religious programmes.

01:30pm  - They go to their respective rooms for siesta.

03:30pm - Seasonal fruit followed by tea.

06:00pm -07:00pm - Dinner time (as per recommended by doctor) 

some Elderly who are in 90's take smashed food.

As there is a microphone system in Home so they get-together again and sing Aarti (religious songs) and give speech into Microphones.

Around 08:00pm they go to their respective rooms.


08:30  - Milk time. milk is served in their rooms only.

Twice in a week - sweets and namkin are provided.

once in a fortnight ice-creame is served.

                              ANUBANDH OLD AGE HOME.

1) 2 Regular Doctors 

2) Tailor comes for 10 days and stitches 100 pairs of clothes.

3) 39 inmates (Elderly people) and 10 care-takers are there.


In one room there are four beds. Woman have separate rooms. Couple rooms are also available. Every room is attached with thhe bathroom. In every room TV, DVD and cooler facility is there and separate cupboard and tea table.

In past whenever people would visit them, they used to ask the Elderly about their past so this used to remind them of their agonies in past and upset them and it traumatized them. Therefor it was decided that visitors will not be allowed, since it gives them a mental agony and haunted memories of past. They go away and hide them self  if they see any stranger there in Home. That is why i did not take any interview or any pic of them, i my intention of going there was not hurting them or discomforting them.

These kind of charts are stick every where.

Here are some pics of Anubandh

a room with 4 beds

Infirmary of Anubandh

                                                         

                                     Last 5 snaps gives us the outer look of Anubandh

These two videos show us the interior of two different rooms of Anubandh.