{"id":6164,"date":"2018-09-18T15:50:56","date_gmt":"2018-09-18T10:20:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/covaicare.com\/?p=6164"},"modified":"2019-04-13T06:46:19","modified_gmt":"2019-04-13T06:46:19","slug":"role-of-senior-citizens-in-knowledge-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/covaicare.com\/blog\/role-of-senior-citizens-in-knowledge-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Role of Senior Citizens in Knowledge Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Think tank on \u201cRole of Senior Citizens in Knowledge Economy\u201d <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Held at Soundaryam Comfort Homes, Perur-Pachapalayam, Coimbatore on Saturday, September 18, 2010<\/p>\n

\u201cChange\u201d is the only thing permanent in life:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It is inevitable, being the law of nature.\u00a0 So too is the natural process of ageing, and a retired life is normally said to be \u2018goodbye to tension\u2019 and \u2018hello to pension\u2019.\u00a0 Yet, the common man\u2019s attitude towards senior citizens is that of considering them merely as hapless people, constantly in need of assistance.\u00a0 This approach needs to be reversed, as senior citizens who possess vast experience are a store house of technical, practical knowledge and wisdom<\/em><\/strong>, all of which need to be identified, utilized, channelised and harnessed for the development of our country in diverse fields.\u00a0 The twilight years in one\u2019s life do not mean the beginning of the end \u2013 one needs to remember that when the sun disappears off the horizon, at sunset, there is still light and the colours are most beautiful, so much so that it is extremely difficult to distinguish between Dawn<\/strong> and Dusk<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Think Tank:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It was with this objective that two academic institutions – Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (Uttarakhand) and Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, (Tamil Nadu), with enthusiastic support from Covai Property Centre (I) Pvt. Ltd., Coimbatore, jointly organised a \u201cThink Tank\u201d on \u201cThe role of senior citizens in Knowledge Economy\u201d,<\/em><\/strong> on Saturday, September 18, 2010 at \u201cThe Retreat\u201d, Soundaryam – Santhosham Comfort Homes, Perur Pachapalayam, Coimbatore, under the Knowledge Economy Project funded by the Government of India, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Department of Information Technology.\u00a0 The Confederation of Indian Industry (Coimbatore Zone) co-sponsored the event.<\/p>\n

The event provided a platform to a broad spectrum of society, with representation of the government, industry, academia, NGOs and a good majority of senior citizens, to voice their opinions and hold meaningful fruitful discussions.\u00a0 The event aimed at creating awareness of the necessity of a positive approach towards senior citizens through the media and fostering positive ageing with proper geriatric care as well as through corporate social responsibility.\u00a0 Participants were also provided with useful information on insurance and investment schemes.<\/p>\n

Sessions:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The event spread over three sessions: Inaugural, Plenary and Valedictory. In the Inaugural session, Col. A. Sridharan, VSM (Retd)., Managing Director of Covai Property Centre (India) Private Limited, welcomed the gathering.\u00a0 Dr. S.N. Rangnekar, Assoc. Professor, Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee introduced the Knowledge Economy Project while the Chief Guest, Dr. G. Lakshmipathy, noted geriatrist and humorist delivered the Inaugural Address.\u00a0 Mrs. Revathi Bhasker, erstwhile Project Manager of the Knowledge Economy Project at IIT Roorkee proposed a vote of thanks.<\/p>\n

Plenary:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In the Plenary session, a panel discussion was held with AVM Dr. Natarajan, Former Vice-Chancellor, Pauri Garhwal University, Uttarakhand, Mr. Jayakumar Ramdas, Past Chairman CII Coimbatore Zone and Managing Director, Mahendra Submersible Pumps P. Ltd., and Mr. Pratap Gokuldas, Former Governor, Rotary International and President, NRI Parents\u2019 Association as panelists and Prof. G. Ramasamy, Professor in Civil Engineering, EBETI, Coimbatore, as the moderator.\u00a0 The discussion was followed by an inter-active session with the audience.<\/p>\n

Valedictory:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In the post lunch Valedictory Session, a skit was performed by senior citizens on the Knowledge Economy Workshop by the residents, Mrs. Padma Varadarajan, Mrs. Rajalakshmi Venkateswaran and Mrs. Seethalakshmi Parameswaran.\u00a0 Mrs. P.N. Kalyani presented a song specially composed by her for the occasion.\u00a0 This was followed by a talk on \u2018Wealth Management for Seniors\u2019 by Mr. Sivaraman, Regional Head, Aditya Birla Money.\u00a0 Wg. Cdr. Dinesh Bhardwaj, an Insurance Consultant, spoke on \u2018Insurance for Senior Citizens\u2019.\u00a0 Mr. Shyam Vishwanathan, HR Consultant presented a Caregiver\u2019s Perceptions on Dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s Disease.<\/p>\n

Retire to Begin Life:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Col. Sridharan then steered a very lively presentation of views on \u2018Retire to begin life\u2019.\u00a0 Mr. M.H. Narasimhan, Founder and Managing Director of Einstitute of Executive Learning, Mumbai delivered the Valedictory Address, while Dr. Prema Rajagopalan, Asst. Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, summed up the takeaways of the workshop.\u00a0 The workshop aimed at channelising the vast storehouse of knowledge vested in the senior citizens for the welfare of the society, and to evolve a thought process which will be instrumental to generate policy making and modifications in the days ahead.<\/p>\n

Some of the tips to good living for the elderly brought up at the meet are:<\/p>\n