SAMAGAM (REUNITING FAMILIES)
SAMAGAM is an annual event of the organization, also known as “JANANI-JANAK MAHOTSAVA”. The concept behind this is to reunite elderly parents with the families. Westernisation of the society is one of the major factors for dividing joint families into nuclear form. The generation gap is increasing day by day and due to which children may enjoy while living without parents. In the rural areas the situation is really bad, 50 out of 100 families are living without their parents. The parents who have given them birth, provided them with all the Love, care and affection, who have given them opportunities for growing, done every possible thing for their upbringing, are bound to live alone in their old age. Their biological children/Son-daughter-in-law ignores them and even in some cases we found that parents were faced mental, physical & emotional abuses. As an organization, we identify those parents/families, maintain their profiles, document the reasons of their clashes, provide them counselling & platform to discuss their disputes. Every year we reunite more than 100 elderly parents into their families. During the event the parents were handed over to their children with an undertaking for taking care of them. In last few years people had appreciated this effort of ours also this will give us immense satisfaction.
“JANANI-JANAK MAHOTSAVA”. (A Program Honoring the Elderly) In Indian culture, devotion to one’s parents holds the highest place; serving and revering parents while they are alive has long been a cherished tradition. It is this very spirit of filial devotion that inspires sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law to offer ritual oblations (*arghya*) and pay tribute to their departed ancestors during the *Pitru Paksha* period. However, with the passage of time, this devotion to parents is gradually fading; the elderly are often denied the respect and support they need in their twilight years. Through its assessments, the organization has observed that in many families, sons and daughters-in-law are estranged from their parents or grandparents and live separately, leaving the elderly to lead solitary lives. The organization counsels such families, facilitating a process where sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law honor and revere their elderly parents, take a pledge to live together, and thereby rediscover the true meaning of filial devotion. Organized with community support, this program honors and pays tribute to 125–150 elderly parents each year.
Every year, on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons, the institute organizes an event known as the ‘Janani-Janak Mahotsav,’ a tradition that has been upheld continuously since 2007. For this ceremony, the institute identifies and invites elderly individuals from the region—along with their sons, daughters-in-law, and daughters—who are living in isolation due to family discord or other circumstances; this includes those living apart from their children or those who have no children at all. These elderly parents and their children (sons and daughters-in-law) are brought together for a joint session that includes counseling. The event features a ritual where the elderly are honored through acts of reverence performed by their children, followed by a shared meal and a solemn pledge taken by the children to support their parents and grandparents in their old age rather than living apart from them. During the program, the institute honors these elderly individuals by presenting them with traditional shawls (*ang-vastra*) and boosts their morale by reassuring them that they have a support system for their twilight years.
Objective-
The ‘Janani-Janak Mahotsav’ (Parents’ Celebration) is organized out of the deep reverence Founding President Ratnesh Kumar holds for parents. Having lost his own parents in childhood, he was unable to serve them during their lifetime; now, whenever he sees elderly parents living a life of hardship, he strives to ensure they receive the respect they deserve. This event is organized to—
- Bring personal fulfillment and inner joy. ऽ Create an environment conducive to united and happy families.
- Prevent the elderly from being forced into a solitary existence.
- Preserve ancient Indian culture. Identification of elderly individuals living in isolation-
- The organization assigns responsibilities to its management committee members based on administrative blocks.
- Teachers from ‘Child-Friendly Schools’ and members of the ‘Childline 1098’ team identify elderly individuals while performing their duties in the field throughout the year.
- Elderly individuals living alone due to family discord or other reasons—such as living apart from sons and daughters-in-law, or having no children at all—are selected and listed.
- Multiple rounds of counseling are conducted with the families of these elderly individuals who are living in isolation due to family discord or other reasons (e.g., living apart from sons/daughters-in-law or having no children). How parents/the elderly are honored at the Janani-Janak Mahotsav-
- At the ceremony, the elderly participants are seated in one row, while their sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law are seated in a facing row.
- The organization garlands both the elderly individuals and the sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law seated opposite them.
- A ceremonial platform (*chowki*) is set up in front of the elderly; a worship tray (*thali*) is prepared, and the sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law perform a ritual of worship and *Aarti* for their elderly parents.* The head of the organization administers a solemn pledge to the sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law, binding them to never speak harsh words to their elderly parents or in-laws from this day forward;they vow not to let them lead a lonely life and to always treat them with respect. * Similarly, the elderly are also encouraged to bestow their blessings upon their sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law. *
- The organization honors all the elderly attendees by presenting them with new shawls (or traditional wraps). * Food supplies—such as milk, rice, vegetables, oil, and spices—are collected as donations from various villages and households in the area. * Leaf-based plates and bowls (*dona-pattal*) are procured through donations from prominent local citizens. * Other office-bearers of the organization take on the responsibility of arranging the event’s tents and marquees through donations. * A communal meal consisting of *kheer* (sweet rice pudding), *puri* (deep-fried bread), and vegetable dishes is prepared from the collected ingredients, and all attendees partake in the meal. * Dignitaries attending the event share inspiring stories about devotion to parents, and street-corner gatherings help foster an atmosphere that encourages others to emulate these values. * The inaugural event in 2007 was attended by numerous dignitaries, including Deputy Director of Education Smt. Vasumati Agnihotri, other officials from the U.P.Directorate of Education, the local MLA, and the MP;this tradition has continued to grow in scale every year. * This event, organized by the institution, is conducted entirely through community cooperation;no government funds are utilized.
Achievements
Achievements in the Care and Dignified Aging of the Elderly The success of any program or project is measured by the extent to which the community embraces it. The community has wholeheartedly adopted the “Janani-Janak Mahotsav” (Parents’ Celebration Festival) initiative launched by the organization for the welfare of the elderly. All the arrangements and materials required for this festival are sourced from the local community. Every year, community members organize the logistics—including food and seating arrangements (tents and marquees) for over 5,000 attendees (including the families of 125–150 elderly individuals) and the provision of new shawls as gifts for all the elderly participants.
Organization workers facilitate these arrangements by motivating the community, which stands as the organization’s greatest achievement in this endeavor. In 2007, the Basic Utthan evam Gramin Seva Sansthan, Barabanki, launched the “Janani-Janak Mahotsav” campaign to save the elderly from the hardships of a lonely life in their twilight years. Office bearers and workers of the organization resolved to address situations where elderly individuals faced discord or frequent quarrels with their sons and daughters-in-law, or were living in isolation for various reasons.
The initiative aimed to have these elderly individuals honored through rituals of reverence performed by their own sons, daughters-in-law, and daughters. This act was intended to instill a sense of dignity in the elderly and awaken a spirit of devotion towards parents among the children, thereby fostering a respectful and happy family atmosphere. Witnessing this devotion to parents would, in turn, influence the younger generation, instilling in them a sense of duty to obey and respect their parents.
In the first year (2007), the institute’s office-bearers and volunteers faced significant challenges in counseling the elderly and persuading them to live with their sons and daughters-in-law. People were initially hesitant to participate in the ‘Janani-Janak Mahotsav’ (a festival honoring parents) and perform the ritual worship of their parents. Through strenuous effort, 100 elderly individuals were brought together; after the worship ceremony, they took a collective pledge to live with their families. The sight of 100 parents being honored simultaneously during the festival conveyed a powerful message, sparking widespread discussion across the local area and the entire district. While only a few people contributed materials or voluntary labor to the event in the first year, the number of supporters grew in the second year.
This tradition of organizing the ‘Janani-Janak Mahotsav’ with community support continued to expand. Society and the community have embraced the festival, and such events are now being organized at multiple locations across the district. Every year, 125 to 150 elderly individuals participate in the worship ceremony and pledge to live with their sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law during their twilight years. To date, 1030 elderly individuals—who had long been living in isolation and frequently quarreling with their sons or daughters-in-law—have been honored with ceremonial garments and successfully persuaded to reunite with their families. A favorable environment for the elderly is gradually being created in the region where the institute carries out this work.