Ay And By Together

CHILDREN and the elderly enrich each other’s lives when Ananda Yaan and Bhavishya Yaan come together. Daan Utsav is a time of giving. Giving can be in kind, which most people do, but one can also provide one’s service or knowledge and time. That is what our senior citizens of the Ananda Yaan, Byculla, did: they shared their knowledge with the younger generation.

One often hears the young doing something for the old but in the Daan Utsav this year, the old came forward and did their bit for the young. Our senior citizens have been practicing yoga for some time now and greatly benefited from it. They decided to share this knowledge and inculcate a passion for it in the young.

Six senior citizens visited the BY municipal school in Byculla and did an intensive session on yoga for over 50 fourth graders. The seniors first explained to the children how yoga not only helps the body but also the mind. They went on to demonstrate different techniques which help the arms, legs, stomach and back. The children were awestruck when one 85-year-old gentleman bent and stretched his back.

The children noticed how he maintained a very straight back while they themselves slouched while walking. Finally, the senior citizens shared their own school experiences and explained to the children the importance of both studies and physical fitness and how it is important to maintain a healthy balance.