Samarth Magazine

Extend Your Family. Enjoy Your Age! Volume 03 | Issue 05 | `60 Ways to avoid fall Celebrating festivals; the four Improve memory and pg 13 pillars of balanced indulgence pg 14 prevent dementia pg 44 Get magazine issue delivered to doorstep Whatsapp ‘SUBS’ to 8700 677 878



FROM THE EDITOR Asheesh Gupta Samarth elders: Our identity, our strength, our legacy There is a famous The ship looked the same, but it comprised new wooden philosophical problem pieces. Is it still the ship of Theseus or is it a new ship popularly known as now? There are two schools of thought. One says that the Ship of Theseus, or identity is a function of time and therefore we can say the Theseus’s Paradox. Imagine that a new ship has emerged. The other school of thought the ship of Theseus, an old ship believes in continuous identity, an essence beyond space discovered in an archaeological and time, and that this essence has survived even though dig, brought to a museum. Over the woodwork has been replaced. time, some of the woodwork kept rotting and needed replacement. Our work at Samarth ensuring family quality care and After some time another piece support for elders since 2016, can be compared to the needed to be replaced, and then Ship of Theseus. Every few years, new challenges emerge, another. This went on until finally, some practices change, strategies evolve, members a couple of years later, no portion join, and vows are renewed. However, our commitment of the original woodwork was left. towards our seniors is continuous and consistent. The essence of Samarth has remained the same. One says that identity is a function of time and We are only better equipped, our team is better therefore we can say that engaged with our members, our communication channels a new ship has emerged. are more diversified in the form of daily Facebook The other school of thought updates, Whatsapp and YouTube channels, informative believes in continuous weekly newsletter, quarterly magazine, weekly polls on identity, an essence beyond topics relevant to our members etc. We are committed space and time. towards digital equity for all elders and our online interactive sessions, Samarth Milan, are now organized on three days every week. These free online events not only entertain and engage the members but also provide expert advice on legal, financial, health and other important aspects of quality aging. We believe that happy aging is only possible if our seniors lead a well-balanced life with people who care for them, celebrating festivals, indulging in good food and engaging in fun activities. Hence, we have included not just one, but a set of four cover stories in this magazine edition, providing ideas on engaging activities, informing you about lost recipes, sharing tricks of managing your health during festivals and some very useful gift giving Vol 03 | Issue 035 | samarth | 1

FROM THE EDITOR Gaurav ideas. There are also relevant insights on financial planning, hobbies Agarwal and travel interests of elders, social engagements etc. Head over to Chief the survey section for some useful suggestions that our community Operating members have shared on how they are planning to ‘festival’ this Officer year. There are a flurry of activities that we have organized in the last few weeks. Don’t miss out checking the Samarth community pulse Geeta section for an update on the same. From Mr. Amitabh Bachchan Nambisan lending his voice for Elder Line to the Indian Navy veterans Care Operations partnering with us, the possibilities are limitless and we have just Director begun. So far we have been uncompromising in ensuring quality service Vishal Malik and peace of mind to elders and those who care for them. With Director this festive edition of the magazine, we reaffirm our commitment Community to ensure that the elderly community under our care has access to Development every opportunity that a digitally enabled world provides. Dipti Sinha Let me reiterate the fact that for many decades our elders have Care Delivery been the ‘wealth generators’, today they are ‘value creators’ and we Manager are fortunate to be the ‘inheritors’ of this legacy. As the baton of life changes hands across generations, it is time to reconnect, revisit Jaswant and reassert ourselves that we are ‘Samarth’ enough to continue this Rawat journey and celebrate life. Samarth Happy Diwali! Community Mentor Asheesh Raman Kapur Care Network Manager Bijender Sheoran Head – Care Technology Rajiv Dubey- Director - Projects 2 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

30,000+ members / 110 cities India's largest community of active seniors. Trusted by the diaspora across 20+ countries to support and care for their elderly parents living in India.

Cover Design: Aarti Uberoi CONTENTS 14 Cover Story Celebrating festivals; the four pillars of balanced indulgence Can we indulge in festivities without risking our health? Can we break our assumptions and have a balanced fulfilling festival season? Read on to know more Letters 11 Letters Health 13 Ways to avoid from readers fall Preventive strategies to avoid potential injuries caused by falling Survey 28 How to Finance 36 Know your ‘Festival’ own personal this year balance sheet A collection of What is Net Worth? insights and expert Why does it matter for our elders? advices for the How to calculate it? Samarth community members 4 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

Travelogue 40 Hampi The UNESCO EDITORIAL recognized World Editor: Asheesh Gupta Heritage Site Associate Editor: Indrajit De Contributors: Indrajit De, Infographics 44 Prevent Aarti Uberoi, Sangeeta Gupta, Dementia & Harshul Grover, Col Ravi Malhotra boost your memory DESIGN Designed by: Aarti Uberoi Other Sections PRODUCTION & LOGISTICS Manager Operations: Rakesh Upadhyay 01 | From the Editor Manager Logistics: Vijay Menon 06 | News Asst Manager Production & Logistics: 46 | Community Pulse M.P. Singh 50 | Mind Benders Executive: Mohd. Ansari OFFICE ADDRESS Published, Printed and Owned by Samarth Life Management Pvt. Ltd. Published and printed on their behalf by Asheesh Gupta. Published at D-278, Basement, Sarvodaya Enclave, New Delhi. Printed at Tara Art Printers Pvt Ltd., A-46-47, Sector-5, NOIDA, (U.P.) 201301 For any customer queries and assistance please write to [email protected] Please recycle this magazine and remove inserts before recycling Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 5

AROUND THE WORLD Air India’s gift for senior citizens: Get a 50% discount on flight tickets Source: All stories collated from media reports AIR INDIA has introduced Moreover, the senior citizen for the bookings of all such a special offer wherein the discount is applicable only on flights. In case, the passenger State-run airline carrier is economy class tickets. So, if fails to produce a valid ID offering up to a 50% discount you’re a senior citizen or if proof then the carrier will on flight tickets for senior you’re planning to take your charge full fare for such plane citizens. As part of the offer, parents or grandparents on a tickets. senior citizens get a flat 50% vacation, then this could be discount on the basic fare the right time. Air India had started on all Air India flights. The the discounted scheme for discount is applicable on most However, you should take senior citizens in December routes on which Air India flies note of a few important 2020. The company is now its commercial planes. things before booking the planning to run the carriers discounted tickets for senior till December 2021. Also, if For availing of the discount citizens. For instance, you a senior citizen is travelling offer run by Air India, senior need to ensure that the senior with a child, the airline will citizens planning to book a citizen passenger travelling by charge the full fare for the flight ticket need to buy it at Air India should have a valid child’s ticket. You can know least three days in advance. photo identity card with a more about the rules here: The discount scheme is valid date of birth clearly printed http://www.airindia.in/senior- for all Indians who are aged on it. citizen-concession.html 60 or above. ID proof is mandatory 6 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

NEWS 82-year-old grandma Bai, led an active lifestyle aid. He created a makeshift Source: Image from www.thebetterindia.com from Chennai is taking part in swimming, gym at their home and proving that age is no kho-kho and kabaddi. After customised a workout plan for barrier for fitness her marriage she stayed fit Kiran Bai. through her daily chores Thanks to her viral workout like milking cows, carrying After working out thrice a buckets of water up the week for over three months, videos alongside grandson staircase and grinding the octogenarian can do a masalas by hand. range of exercises from glute Chirag Chordia, Kiran Bai bridges and bicep curls to In 2020, when she fell from deadlifts and split squats. has become a fitness star on her bed and sprained her legs, Exercising has not only made she felt she would have to her stronger but has also Instagram giving deadlifts resign herself to a sedentary helped her regain a sense of lifestyle. This is when her independence to complete all and squats a go! grandson, Chirag Chordia her household chores, as she came to his grandmother’s used to before her injury. THE WORDS ‘FITNESS ENTHUSIAST’ conjures up the image of young people in trendy workout clothes and expensive sports shoes, breaking a sweat at the gym. However, this grandma, deadlifting barefoot in a sari, is breaking stereotypes and inspiring people of all ages to take up exercising. Since her childhood, Kiran A grocery line where slower is better: Supermarkets open ‘Chat Checkouts’ to combat loneliness among elderly 1.3 MILLION PEOPLE in the Loneliness’, has galvanized organizations, towns, companies, and Netherlands are older than individuals to find solutions. The grocer giant, Jumbo, is doing 75 years—and one large its part with its innovative chatty check outs. The idea for the supermarket chain is making ‘Kletskassa’, which translates to ‘chat checkout’, originated more sure they’re not getting too than two years ago—and in the summer of 2019 the first Kletskassa lonely in their elder years. was opened in Vlijmen in Brabant. The Dutch government with “These are important meeting places for many people and we its campaign, ‘One Against want to play a role in identifying and reducing loneliness. We do this in various ways, including our Kletskassas. “We are proud that many of our cashiers like to take a seat behind a Kletskassa.” They support the initiative and want to help people to make real contact with them out of genuine interest. It is a small gesture, but very valuable, especially in a world that is digitizing and getting faster and faster. Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 7

NEWS Woman launches cab & caretaker service There are close to 70 vehicles with Ex-Servicemen in the organisation of which 20 of them are modified and Sartaj Lamba from Chandigarh provides caregiving and assisted tailored according to the needs of the elderly and disabled. The travel services to over 2000 elderly and disabled across India. wheelchair-enabled vehicles have rotating seats, oxygen BASED IN CHANDIGARH, faced difficulties in providing cylinders, first aid and more. Sartaj provides caregiving and efficient care for my father-in- assisted travel, a service widely law. The experience opened Sartaj hired ex-servicemen popular in the West. my eyes. Visiting the hospital as both drivers and caretakers. is only one part of caregiving, They were provided training in Sartaj had everything we needed an end-to-end caregiving. Users can also avail from money, contacts to best service. We have 13 crore senior both the services in one of their healthcare facilities and yet citizens and many of them can options. she faced problems in terms of be categorised into the disabled assisted travel and caregiving section due to locomotive Most users are patients for her father-in-law who was limitations. They have to depend who need to visit the hospital diagnosed with Parkinson’s on their family for travelling in almost daily for chemotherapy disease in 2015. lieu of insufficient infrastructure or dialysis sessions. They can options. I have built a model book the cab and if they want, Between 2016 and 2018, he that not only provides transport the driver can stay around was completely bedridden but but also provides services that to help them with household required frequent visits to the an individual may need before errands or daily chores. The hospital as he had amnesia too. and after travelling,” says Sartaj, elderly don’t have to be at the He passed away in 2018, leaving who has played an active role mercy of otherS. Users can also a huge void in the family. in the Army Wives Welfare book cabs for long inter-city or Association (AWWA). inter-state services. This service However, this loss inspired is especially designed for the Sartaj to make mobility and The rental car system has disabled who find it hard to caregiving more inclusive for a presence in several cities, travel in trains, buses or flights. the elderly and disabled. Thus including Delhi, Mohali, Ambala, was born Buddy Cabs and Chandigarh, Faridabad, One of the most fruitful BeSure Care. Gurugram and Noida. collaborations that came out of Buddy Cabs was with hospitals “Being an army wife, we like Fortis. The cabs are now had support staff and yet we parked in the hospital premises for the elderly and disabled. They can also book doctor appointments and schedule services of caretakers through the cabs. This eliminates the need for waiting endlessly to meet the doctor. 8 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

NEWS People are grateful for around 2,000 customers, most a personal loss is now making a Sartaj’s contribution during the of whom have taken the service difference for the senior citizens pandemic. She had converted more than once. and disabled communities, that her cabs into an emergency are otherwise overlooked. service for ferrying patients and An initiative that was born from had also started a small 25-bed COVID-19 centre along with the municipal administration. Given the demand and responses, Sartaj hopes to scale up this operation pan India. She wants to hire women cab drivers and open this service for pregnant women and new mothers, too. In the last two years, Sartaj’s organisation has catered to 96-year-old saves village through art A TAIWANESE NAMED ‘HUANG’ took matters into his own hands when he discovered that the government planned to close his village and home of 30 years. Now 96 years of age, Huang has spent the last seven years painstakingly painting properties across his village, covering them with colourful images of puppies, kittens and pigs. This self-taught artist has been waking up as early as 3 am each morning to start painting. He has also paid for all of the art supplies himself. Today, the village is one of the main tourist attractions in Taichung, attracting millions of visitors each year. As a result, the government has shelved plans to close the village permanently. Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 9

NEWS Great-grandmother keeps India’s infused with religion in the present day. oldest martial art Kalaripayattu India’s British colonial rulers banned the alive practice in 1804 but it survived underground She has been a driving force in the revival of before a revival in the early 20th century and after independence in 1947. kalaripayattu in the state In recent decades it has come on in leaps and DEFTLY PARRYING her son with a bamboo bounds, thanks in no small measure to Meenakshi, cane, Meenakshi Amma belies her 78 years with who won a national award in 2017. Now it is her prowess at kalari, thought to be India’s oldest recognised as a sport and is practised all over martial art. India. The great-grandmother in Kerala, southern Inside Meenakshi’s kalari hall, her bare-chested India, has been a driving force in the revival of son Sanjeev Kumar, a lungi tied around his waist, kalaripayattu, as the ancient practice is also puts barefoot pupils -- boys and girls alike -- known, and in encouraging girls to take it up. through their paces on the ochre-red earth floor. “I started kalari when I was seven years old. “There are two divisions in kalaripayattu -- one I am 78 now. I am still practising, learning and is that kalaripayattu is peace and the other is teaching,” the matriarch of the Kadathanad Kalari kalaripayattu in war,” said the “gurukkal” (master). Sangham school, founded by her late husband in 1949. “It’s an art that purifies mind, body and soul, improves concentration, speed and patience, “When you open the newspapers, you only see regenerates physical and mental energy. news of violence against women,” she said. “When women learn this martial art, they feel physically “When totally connected mentally and and mentally strong and it makes them confident physically to kalari, then the opponent disappears, to work and travel alone.” the body becomes eyes.” Kalari, which contains elements of dance “It’s a form of poetry,” said civil engineer Alaka and yoga, can involve weapons such as swords, S. Kumar, 29, daughter of Kumar and the mother shields and staffs. Reputedly 3,000 years old, and to some of Meenakshi’s many great-grandchildren. mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures, it remains “I am going to teach kalari, with my brother. We have to take over. Otherwise it is gone.” 10 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

Letters from Readers Team Samarth: Monika Sethi, our care counsellor in Dear Samarth, Delhi, combines experience with empathy to provide family-quality care and support for the elderly. The care counsellor from Samarth On Mr. Bahal’s 84th birthday, she made it a point to visited Dad today to celebrate his surprise him with a birthday cake and be with him to 84th birthday and I am so happy for spend some quality time. All the while being mindful of him. Thank you Samarth for making it safety protocols and precautions in the middle of the possible amidst the global pandemic. global pandemic. I feel blessed that my Dad is doing While we were happy to put a smile on Mr. Bahal’s face so well for his age amidst so many on his birthday, we were thrilled to receive a beautiful challenges. Good wishes to everyone message from his son Anurag, who lives in New Jersey. here and their loved ones. Thank you Anurag, for your kind words. And thank you Anurag; New Jersey, USA Monika for all that you do. Moments make memories, S/O Permanand Bahal, Delhi and together we shall continue to make many more. Dear Samarth, Team Samarth: What keeps us motivated to do what we do? Thank you all very much for your It is people like Divya Swami from the United States, kindness and loving care for my mother. who embraced us with warmth and made us feel like Thank you so much for being there a part of her family. Thank you Divya for sharing your with my mother on her very special #SamarthExperience with us, 90th birthday. It is such a blessing to and the world. This makes us have all of you as part of our family. feel very special. Divya Swami, United States Dear Samarth, Team Samarth: Thank you for your encouraging words Anshula & Vinod. You have founded an amazing initiative This is valuable to us and keeps us in Samarth. If it were not for Rashmi - motivated to do better each day. our care counsellor - taking care of our father and his chemotherapy, we would have to personally travel to Mumbai to take care of everything. I don’t know how you find such caring care cousellors. Anshula & Vinod Subramani South Korea Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 11

LETTERS FROM READERS Samarth is truly a blessing to my mom Team Samarth: We are delighted to play a small role in making a positive difference and to me as well. I’d like to extend my in the lives of B.L. Rajanikanth from #IBM heartfelt thanks to everyone who is caring Bangalore, and his mother. for my mom and let them know how very important their work is, for me and my family. B L Rajanikanth Associate Partner, IBM Bangalore Dear Samarth, or time—from hospital and doctor’s visits, to professional house cleaning, to care counsellor This is an overdue note to thank all at Samarth visits. At first she was Ma’s care counsellor in for taking good care of our mother, Kanchan which capacity she was professional, warm, Arora. We signed up with Samarth in 2018 and caring, discreet, and empathetic. Since then, you’ve been a godsend, seeing Ma through she has been in a more supervisory role. Ma two hospitalisations, several doctor’s visits, looks forward to Dipti’s calls. Dipti inspires and being there also for more mundane/ confidence and we all relax when we know routine issues. It is of great comfort to me and that she is in charge of a particular task. my siblings to know that Ma can turn to you We have recommended Samarth to several for various needs and that you will step up. of our friends who live outside India and The shining light and constant since we started have an elderly parent/parents in India. with Samarth has been Dipti Sinha. She goes Thank you Gaurav, Dipti and the whole Samarth above and beyond to deliver, and has never team! once said that something cannot be done. Once Mandakini Arora; D/O Kanchan Arora, Delhi Dipti is on the case, we all are rest assured that Ma’s needs will be met, no matter what the day Dear Samarth, extremely hands on and communicative. It was a blessing to have her. We have to thank Disha for all her assistance Nisha Dobberstein; D/O Sh. Brahm Jeet, when my Dad, our cook and his attendant all Mumbai tested positive for Covid. She really rose to the challenge and was on top of things. Both Jarna and myself felt very reassured knowing this. I’m sure the Samarth team was assisting in the background however, Disha was 12 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

LETTERS FROM READERS WAYS TO AVOID FALL Follow these preventive strategies to avoid potentially serious injuries caused by falling By Samarth staff Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries across the world. According to the WHO estimate, falls are the second leading cause of mortality worldwide, and it is estimated that 80% of the falls occur in low- and middle-income countries, of which South East Asia accounts for 60% of fall-related mortalities. Injuries are the major reasons for high out of pocket expenditure as well as other serious health issues. Nowadays, unintentional injuries are gaining attention, especially among the senior citizens. Due to the fear of fall, elderly people tend to compromise social interaction, and quality of life by limiting mobility, and hence there is a diminished sense of well-being. As we age, often we tend to lose muscle mass and strength. Our lifestyle dictates our diet and many elders end up deficient in multiple vitamins and minerals. This causes weakness and in turn may cause falls. There are many other factors contributing to increasing risk of falling amongst elderly population e.g. diminished vision, gait problems, fluctuations in blood pressure, neurological disorders, dehydration and stress etc. Ask any elder and if they have ever had a fall, chances are that they are afraid of falling again and have drastically altered their daily living habits, prompting them to change their gait in ways that worsen balance. The following steps can help in avoiding that fall: 1. Attend to Your Environment Try and make your immediate environment i.e. your home, a fall free place. Remove throw rugs, improve poor lighting, and watch out for small animals/ pets who like to be underfoot. A pet may need retraining to respond better to elder’s voice commands. Wear well-fitting, low-heeled, supportive shoes with nonslip soles, indoors as well as outside. contd. on page 15 . . . Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 13

COVER STORY COVER STORY Celebrating festivals; the four pillars of balanced indulgence Can we indulge in festivities without risking our health? Can we break our assumptions and have a balanced fulfilling festival season? Read on to know more By Samarth staff 14 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

COVER STORY There was once a priest who was very cried the priest. “Pot of gold?” exclaimed the poor. There were constant quarrels in deity, “But I never gave you a pot of gold. I gave his house between his unhappy wife, you the nectar of wisdom. Did you not drink it? his hungry children and his aging Or were you too distracted by the container?” parents. He begged the deity of his temple to help. So the deity gave him a pot of gold. The This is the case with most us. We are too happy priest sold the gold and used the used the prone to assumptions and too well conditioned money to repay his debts, bought all the things socially to question the status quo. One such money could buy, and even made investments assumption is the belief that festivals are a time to secure his future. But soon after the quarrels when people put on weight and pick up lot of between his greedy wife, ambitious children unhealthy habits of indulgence. Too much food, and neglected parents started again. Annoyed, excessive noise and the constant and rising expenses, all collectively make festivals ‘not One must be ‘Samarth’ elderly friendly’ in common terms. However, to ensure a balanced and we at Samarth beg to differ. We believe that healthy way of celebrating festivals are best time for elders to renew their the festivals. vigor of life, meet family and friends, engage in fun activities and savor good food. However, the priest went to the deity and demanded a one must be ‘Samarth’ to ensure a balanced and solution. Once again the deity gave him a pot of healthy way of celebrating the festivals. Deep gold. “No, I don’t want another pot of gold. Give dive into the four key areas that you may want to me something that solves the problem truly,” take care of during the ongoing festival season, and making the celebration truly ‘golden’ in its essence. contd. from page 13 2. Better Your Balance When it comes to strength and balance, consider the Asian mind-body exercise of Tai-Chi. Martial art like Tai-Chi can significantly reduce fall risk in older adults by improving their static endurance and dynamic balance. This helps the elders in standing upright for longer duration as well as moving around better, both indoors as well as outdoors. contd. on page 18 . . . Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 15

COVER STORY You don’t need a reason to celebrate festivals Festivals are occasions to transcend age barriers, become more inclusive and spread that infectious smile and joy! Social isolation can take its being of our elders. There are many other toll on our health. We have benefits to engaging in seen plenty of examples How Does It Benefit festivities as mentioned during the pandemic last year. Seniors? below: This is especially true for our elders. A lack of connection Festivals and special • Improved with other people not only occasions are a wonderful affects their often declining time for each generation in Physical Health physical and mental health but the family to get together and can also lead to depression enjoy some quality time. This Staying engaged in and poor emotional health. way, older family members activities and helping Getting together with friends not only get to share the fun with minor household and family members on joyous and excitement, but also feel chores require physical occasions like festivals and satisfied with their lives and movement. Studies show birthdays, and engaging in all relationships. They feel a that even a little bit of the festivities can be highly sense of having contributed exercise can lower blood beneficial to the overall well- positively to the overall family pressure, reduce the risk of values. cardiovascular disease and various forms of arthritis, as well as improve overall 16 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

COVER STORY health. Festivals are an Social interaction releases oxytocin in the excellent time to clean up body. This lowers stress levels and boosts the house, put things back good feelings. in order, and welcome family and friends over fun health. that cup of tea with crisp filled engagements. These newspaper. in turn motivate the elders Find a way to to move around the house, celebrate the • Early evening, to catch extend a helping hand, and festivals feel valued in turn. the setting sun and being If you’re celebrating thankful for the day well • Enhanced a festival or a special spent. occasion at home, Mental Health with or without people • Late evening, post around, this should be Conversing with others, very easy to follow. your supper, to catch doing minor chores, and First of all, it is important the lights in the partaking in activities can to feel the nip in the distant announcing prevent cognitive decline festive air. So go to the festivities and while boosting mental that balcony or garden celebrations. health. Festivals provide atleast four times during ample opportunities the active hours: Play music to promote a for socializing that may festive feel and to help help in keeping the brain • Early morning, to hear relieve stress. Play some stimulated and can reduce new songs suggested the risk of Alzheimer’s and the quiet and chirping of by your favourite radio dementia. This is true for birds. channel or ‘Alexa’, but for people in any age and not the most part, play old specific to elders. • Around noon, to enjoy favorites and classics. • Increased Emotional Health It has been found that social interaction releases oxytocin in the body. This lowers stress levels and boosts good feelings, helping seniors lead a happy and enriching life. Festivals are excellent times to engage in social fun filled interactions leading to sound emotional VVooll 0033 || IIssssuuee 0055 || ssaammaarrtthh || 1177

COVER STORY sing songs together. If don’t forget to have a they are at a different hearty laugh and a great Cook food if you are location then call them, time. physically able to or, or do a video chat. alternatively, order food These days technology Thanks to technology if you are comfortable has made the world a adoption by seniors, planning with handling apps and smaller place. celebrations with your family smartphones. Most members or friends isn’t importantly enjoy that Connect with your hard any more. You just food, the aroma, the Samarth family and have to be mindful of a few taste, and the memories attend the multiple things due to the changing associated with it. For webinars and zoom preferences of your health once throw the caution meetings happening and other conditions. So, in the air and indulge. throughout the week. keep these tips in mind and Catch up on the gear up to spend some Get your family members interesting topics but memorable moments during to participate in activities also with the fellow this festival season. Happy and conversations. Use members and please celebrating! old photos or memories to get them to talk or 3. Work on your hip strength Source: www.medium.com The hip muscles are some of the more important muscles to strengthen. These muscle groups have to be strong to arrest that sudden fall. Given below is a great exercise to strengthen them: Clamshells: This exercise helps strengthen the hip muscles, specifically the sides of the hips that help provide support and stability for the pelvis and improve standing balance. To perform this exercise: • Lie on any one side with your knees bent over one another • Keeping your lower knee on the ground, push your other knee out to the side • Hold for three seconds, then bring your knees back together • Repeat for 10 repetitions • Rest, then change side and repeat for another set of 10 repetitions Check out the exercise video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGytiOeQTkk 18 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

Rediscovering festivals through food As the festivals made their transition from being celebrations to becoming marketing and shopping extravaganza, many food traditions have gotten lost in the process. Samarth team has curated a few lost recipes sourced directly from our members. We can only wonder these flavours. They symbolized food traditions have got days if anyone remembers unconditional love within the lost. Kheel-batashe, the pati- traditional festival foods any generations and served as shapte and nadu of Bengal, more. Many festivals like a glue that bound families and anarse are just a few Diwali, that used to be the and societies together. examples of that lost legacy. festival of lights, has been However, as the festivals I haven’t come across a home redefined as the festival of made their transition from frying these up in a while. flash. It’s reduced to a season being a celebration within an of excess and of unending essentially agrarian society A variety of rice based parties with people binging to becoming the splurging snacks would also be made on packed food or atleast extravaganza that it is today, during the festivities — the similar food across the nation. many of these foods and munchies made from dried Traditionally, of course, our rice powder stored away festival foods had been much more than just party foods. Festivals made their transition from being They represented regional celebrations to becoming marketing and identities and seasonal shopping extravaganza. Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 19

COVER STORY for future use. Rice papads With the advent of winter, almost lost recipes that may and kachri were common it was natural for people to excite the foodie in you. Even crisps in many parts of the want some fried comfort and though many of these recipes country before the advent these were the go-to snacks. are regional in nature, they of packaged potato chips Pinni from Nepal and North will surely add the spice to and fryumms. These would Eastern India, Mathris from your festival palette. So try often be made at home Marwar, Farsi poori from them out, share with your months before an upcoming Gujarat, besan ke sev etc are family and friends and if you festival season, sun-drying some of the examples of food like the experience then do on sheets on the terrace. that either made its way to write back to us with your packaged mass production or feedback on the recipes lost into the lap of time. encouraging our golden contributors. In order to relive those golden days gone by, and to preserve the culinary knowledge of our 30,000+ members in Samarth community, we sourced and curated a set of precious and 4. Check your eyes and ears With vision, we experience changes in depth perception and color discrimination with age, and these affect what we see and don’t see in our environment. A poor-fitting mask these days may be a concern, too. Your ability to see your feet may be impaired, and it might affect your field of vision. If you wear eyeglasses, a mask can also cause them to fog up, and if you have hearing aids, the mask strap can interfere. Hence it is important to use a mask that fits closely around your nose or has a nose wire to reduce the fog. Some masks have straps that go around the back of your head, instead of the ears. One can explore those options too. Poor hearing has a direct relation to losing body balance and this may also pose a problem. So ensure that you are regularly consulting your physician and getting your vision and hearing screenings done, in addition to wearing glasses and hearing aids as prescribed. contd. on page 23 . . . 20 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

COVER STORY Chicken Biryani Contributed by Ms. Padmini Ramachandran & Mr. L. Ramachandran Sourced by Ms. Pamila Abraham (Relationship Service In-charge) and Ms. Kamaljeet (Care Counsellor) Ingredients Instructions Chicken: 500 gm (with bone) 1. Slice 2 large onions (long and thin) Biryani Rice: 2 Cups 2. Fry half of it till soft and golden brown. Keep the other half away. Onions: 2 large onions 3. Add the following to the frying pan; 1 tbsp. garlic paste, 1 tbsp. Cashew: 10-12 pieces ginger paste, some cashews and 2 green chilies. Raisins: 12-15 pieces 4. Sauté the mixture for 5 minutes. Green chilies: 2 5. Once sautéd, take the mixture out of the pan, add fistful of Coriander leaves: Fist full coriander leaves and grind the entire mixture to paste. 6. Take a cooker, add ghee and garam masala to it and fry in Garlic paste: 1 tbsp. medium flame for 5 minutes. Ginger paste: 1 tbsp. 7. Add the ground paste, the curd and chicken to the cooker; sauté Curd: ¾ Cup for five minutes. Ghee: As per taste 8. Once it is done, add 2 cups of rice and enough water till 1/2 “ Salt: As per taste above the mixture in th e cooker. Turmeric: ½ tbsp 9. Add salt & turmeric to taste and cook until one whistle. *Whole Garam masala : As 10. Turn off, leave it covered till ready to serve. 11. In a separate pan, fry the other half of onion till golden brown. per taste This is the garnish on the biryani along with cashew and raisins. 12. Serve steaming hot along with any nice side dish. Enjoy! * Whole Garam masala contains coriander seeds, fennel seeds, whole black peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, dried bay leaves, mace, star anise, cinnamon sticks. Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 21

COVER STORY Khaman Contributed by Ms. Meeta Sanghvi & Mr. Vijay Sanghvi Sourced by Ms. Neha Narang (Relationship Service In-charge) and Ms. Preeti Madan (Care Counsellor) For batter: The following proportions will cater to 6 people Chana dal: 2 Cups Ingredients Baking soda: 1 tsp. Salt: As per taste For steaming: Turmeric powder: ½ tsp. Cumin powder: ½ tsp. Coriander powder: ½ tsp. Instructions Steaming the batter Making the batter 6. Add a little amount of water, ½ tsp of turmeric, ½ tsp coriander and ½ tsp of cumin seeds powder to the batter 1. Put the chana dal in a large and let it settle. container and add hot water to it till the water level is 2 7. Take a 6 inch or 9 inch diameter plate and apply a layer of fingers above chana dal level oil, butter or ghee all over the plate. 2. Do this process the night 8. Pour the dal mixture (batter) on the plate and spread evenly before and soak overnight to cover the entire plate. 3. Next day morning, drain 9. Take a large ‘Kadhai’ and put a small bowl inside it (upside away the water and grind down with its rim touching the base of Kadhai). the soaked chana dal into a coarse paste (granular and 10. Pour water up to a level of Kadhai so that the plate with not very fine) batter can be placed on the small inverted vessel kept inside it. 4. Add 1 tsp. full of baking powder or edible soda and 11. Place the cover on the Kadhai and ensure that there is salt to taste atleast 3 inches distance between the lid and the batter plate. 5. Ensure that you are mixing the ingredients in the proportion 12. Steam it for 10 minutes and you will get Khaman ready to of 10 gm baking powder per be consumed. 200 gm of chana dal. This ensures proper fermentation 13. Once the Khaman is steamed, take it out of the Kadhai and in little over 4 hours’ time. keep the plate inverted to drain out the water that may have settled due to steaming process. 14. Cut out the Khaman in any size you want and keep it aside. 22 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

COVER STORY contd on page 39 . . . Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 23

COVER STORY It is OK to indulge: Just do it with awareness Increase your awareness about weight management, follow simple steps to lose those extra kilos gained during festive season every year. India is a land of festivals and we celebrate losing weight becomes even harder for seniors, all 365 days in a year. Naturally, holidays and but not impossible. There are many benefits to festivals can really weigh you down, particularly maintaining optimum weight and remaining fit for those in their golden years or those who are but they all boil down to one overarching pursuit struggling to keep up their health. of living your best possible life. Improved health, better mobility, and more energy mean that We give in to temptations and that is very you can enjoy life with a sense of adventure, a human of us all. During the festivals, you likely sense of joy, and the truth of independence both may have fought a good fight, but given in and during and after festivals. eaten not one, but multiple servings of that ‘Moong dal halwa’, the basket of dry fruits, a As the first step, consult your doctor and bucket of ice cream with dark chocolates, or discuss in detail about the pros and cons of those delicious cookies. There is nothing wrong maintaining a certain weight range in relation in these acts. Festivals are synonymous with to your height and age. The ideal weight varies indulgence. from person to person depending on a number of factors and hence it is imperative that you However, it is also important to keep a check always consult with your doctor about the on our weight both during and after the festivals. ‘need’ for weight management. Once you are Not only for seniors but at any age, gaining sure about the need for losing those extra kilos, weight is a lot easier than losing. However, since follow the steps given below as broad guidelines with increasing age, certain activities and heavy to leading a healthy lifestyle during this period: high intensity exercises are difficult to perform, 24 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

COVER STORY • Get over the guilt • Portion control. One of the best ways to of indulgence lose weight is to stick to a disciplined diet and during festival times. control intake portions. Lowering portions Wallowing in guilt balances your intake with reduced activity. will only delay your However it is advisable to consult your doctor weight-loss efforts—and may actually lead and get a diet chart prepared, customized to to more slipups. your physical condition. • Start with walking comfortably but • Eat the right foods. Part of losing weight consistently in senior friendly areas like parks is gaining muscle for strength and balance. inside apartments or local play grounds where But you need the energy to do so and to other seniors also visit frequently. Slowly continue exercising. Reducing fatty foods increase the pace or the time duration of while increasing protein is a way to eat healthy your walk. Do not increase both at the same while living a healthy lifestyle. This means time as it may lead to fatigue and prevent you adopting fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and from continuing the efforts. lean meat or plant based proteins into • Regular exercise. If you start feeling better, your everyday diet. Plan your meals with regular exercise can be extremely valuable. a gap of 3 to 4 hours Join an activity session in your locality or and have atleast 8 to enquire about one through Samarth. It is 10 glasses of water important to engage in an activity that you daily. will love doing. Apart from managing your weight, there are many physical and emotional benefits as well: • Increased mobility. Keeping yourself fewer doctor’s visits mean less expenditure on health. This also results in more time to active will lead to increased independence do what you would like. and self-confidence. • Less burden on caregivers. Being • Lower chances of heart attack or stroke. Heart related ailments caused overweight makes the job difficult for the care giver. Independence and aging at home by inactivity or sedentary lifestyles are can be maintained longer if you are in better prevalent in the elderly. You can lower the health and shape. risk by losing weight and staying active. • Lower rates of depression. Obesity • Lower risk of diabetes. This is a very can lead to psychological isolation, a common lifestyle induced problem amongst lowered sense of self-esteem, and raised the urban elderly population. Regular rates of depression. Losing weight can help exercise can help control diabetes easily. overcome these. • Lower cost of living. Less medicine and Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 25

COVER STORY The basket of gift giving ideas Samarth team has curated 5 practical yet fun gift giving ideas for our senior members in this festival season. Read on to find more. 01 Reacher Grabber stick 02 Echo Dot (3rd Gen) smart speaker with Alexa It is important to remain active in old age and be able to do activities of daily living. However, Echo Dot is one of the bestselling many elders suffer from joint related ailments smart speakers available in the market limiting their movement. The reacher grabber today that can be operated by voice - stick is a great tool to enhance the active life even from a distance, making it ideal of the elders within the confines of the house for elder’s use. Alexa can speak both as well as outside. The reacher grabber stick English & Hindi, and new features are offered by RMS (Royal Medical Solutions) added continuously. With hands free is one of the many options available in the music control, elders can listen to all market offering similar benefits and anyone the favourite songs in their favorite can be purchased as an excellent gift for our language from Amazon Prime Music, seniors. These tools have a rotating jaw that Spotify, JioSaavn, Gaana, Apple Music locks at 90 degrees for vertical or horizontal etc. With tech savvy elders, this speaker use. The jaws are generally made from soft command experience can easily be rubber to allow picking up the smallest items extended to other appliances like ACs, with ease. These are extremely durable with TVs, geysers using smart plugs that can rust free aluminium body and internal wiring be purchased separately. Voice makes systems. The unique folding system makes it everything simple just ask Alexa to travel friendly and easy to store. easily pay your bills, get news, weather, cricket scores, poetry and stories! Price: INR 2500 Brand: RMS (available on Amazon) Price: INR 2149 Purchase at https://www.amazon.in/ Brand: Amazon Purchase at https://www.amazon.in/ RMS-Inch-Extra-Reacher-Grabber/dp/ B08MWRYZML/ Echo-Dot-3rd-Gen/dp/B07PFFMP9P 26 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

COVER STORY 03 Technology education classes for eyes! Let the elders enjoy playing their elders favorite card games without having to strain the eyes. Bicycle Large Print Bridge With the pandemic demanding the use of Size Playing Cards are designed to be more online resources and virtual meetups, several visible, making card playing easier for senior members in Indian households have everyone, especially older adults. been facing difficulties getting a hang of technology. Bengaluru based start-up ‘Easy Price: INR 1165 Hai’ is a great option for making the elders Brand: Bicyclehttps://lbb.in Tech-Savvy. The class packages serve as Purchase at https://www.amazon. a great practical and relevant gift for any elder in the family. in/s?k=bicycle+cards+playing The startup runs short and long duration programs to help out senior citizens learn 05 Saregama Carvaan 2.0 how to make use of online grocery shopping, use virtual meeting apps and educate them One of the perfect about fake news and WhatsApp forwards. gifts for elderly Instead of going about a ‘how-to’ approach’, grandparents or the Easy Hai services have taken on an seniors, is the approach which makes the elderly more Saregama Carvaan. aware of the technology they use as a whole. This is packed with Anyone above 40 years can sign up for 5000 old classic classes and avail single class or package Hindi songs that our grandparents’ deals based on their requirements. generation grew up listening to. This brings Read more about their services at https:// back the nostalgia and memories of the past. www.thebetterindia.com/235862/ Saregama Carvaan has easy control features lockdown-senior-citizens-technology- so that elderly people should not face any online-elderly-class-app-learning-service- trouble operating it. They have dedicated easy-hai-online-resources-ser106/ buttons for each function and also an LCD screen to display the song details. Saregama Price: INR 150 per class (varies as per has a collection of hit classic songs by Kishor Kumar, RD Burman, Lata Mangeskar, etc. duration of subscription) Price: INR 6790 Brand: Easy Hai Brand: Saregama Find more about it on www.instagram. Purchase at https://www.amazon.in/ com/techeasyhai Saregama-Carvaan-Premium-Portable- or call Surbhi to book your class @ Digital/dp/B07H86KR34/ @ +91-8660434860 04 Large print playing card deck for elders A good game of cards should challenge your mind, not your Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 27

SURVEY How to ‘Festival’ this year A collection of insights and expert advices for the Samarth community members By Samarth staff Festivals are Similarly Nation states as hoping that the community manmade well as families have their call for divine intervention may constructs and not a own special days. Now in grant us the immunity against natural phenomena. the post-liberalization era, the pandemic and let us get These are essentially days consumerism is creating back to our pre-pandemic that are rendered special by its special days. As is lifestyles. Whether we are various social forces. Religions westernization. I guess, we actually struck by the divine have special observance just need an excuse to have a intervention or not, is a matter days: when Christ was born good time. of separate debate; however, (Christmas), when the earliest with the air smelling of verses of the Koran were Beliefs and rituals bind festivities, all of us, including revealed to the Prophet society, give it a form, our seniors, should have a fair (Ramzan), when Durga killed a structure that creates idea on ‘how to festival’ during Mahishasur (Vijaya Dashami) a common cause for all this time. or when Lord Ram came generations to come together back to Ayodhya (Diwali) and celebrate life. These Festivals are synonymous after defeating Ravana. festivals provide us a reason with family engagements, to gather around and pray, meeting friends, good food, 28 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

SURVEY and occasional travel outside mithai and pakoras are some members. city or simply engaging in of preparations that one sees The Samarth team decided one’s long lost hobbies. All of during most festivals. But each these activities also call for festival has a distinct set of to reach out to our community a certain degree of financial delicacies. Holi sees a variation members every week in order affluence. of dishes from region to region to understand how these but thandai (a sweet, creamy extremely important aspects Social isolation can take milk drink) is common across. of healthy living are being its toll on the health of Janmashtami is celebrated perceived by them. Quick older individuals. A lack of with great pomp in places like short surveys were conducted connection with other people Mathura and Vrindavan, with with the community members not only affects declining a variety of milk preparations across the following topics: physical and mental health but flaked with almonds and • Financial planning and can also lead to depression saffron. West Bengal and poor emotional health. during Durgotsav sees an preparedness Older individuals staying atmosphere akin to a carnival • Importance of social with their families are less with sandesh (a sweetmeat) likely to feel lonely given the giving the much needed engagement constant interactions with sugar rush to those partaking • Travel preferences their loved ones. On the in festivities. According to a • Hobbies and interests other hand, it might not be recent news article, during • Weight management for possible for family members this Durga puja, people in to regularly meet or talk to Kolkata indulged in revenge healthy aging older family members staying binging to such an extent that The insights received by the by themselves or at a care the restaurants had to down team were collated, and put facility. In both cases though, their shutters. Though we are forward through infographics getting together on joyous not encouraging the elders or in the following pages. The occasions and festivals can anyone to eat like there is no survey provided a glimpse be highly beneficial to overall tomorrow, we are definitely of how our senior members well-being. expecting all our members to are planning to engage celebrate all festivals through themselves during festivities, As a country known for its the food that they associate where are they planning to rich culture, festivities unveil with. travel to or which are the a treasure trove of flavors hobbies that they plan to with each region offering its However, eating to our explore more, how are they own unique twist. A festival heart’s content also comes thinking of managing their is just an excuse to feast for with the responsibility of health while savoring delicious both the youngest as well as taking care of our health, food, and overall how are they the oldest in the families. The and in particular weight gain, positioned with their financial numerous festivals of India are during the festivities. It is a planning to meet the sudden enriched with many mouth- tight rope walk for most of rise in expenses during watering sweets and lavish us, in particular our senior festivals. Many elders came meals. Palatable items like forward and provided valuable expert advices on ‘how to festival’ this year. Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 29

SURVEY Financial planning and preparedness • 38% of respondents mentioned that they Chart No. 1 I Percentage of elders have done a formal financial planning while another 9% have engaged a with financial planning preparedness financial planner for doing it for them. That said, 32% of respondents have a mental plan while the balance 21% are yet to make a financial plan (Please refer to Chart No. 1). • The Top three financial planning actions taken by all seniors include 1) Ensuring that the spouse is fully familiar with the financial situation, 2)iMaintaining and regularly updating a register of all Assets and Liabilities, 3) Ensuring that the Assets can be easily transferred as required. 30 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

Chart No. 2 I Frequency of reviewing SURVEY investment portfolio Experts recommend all seniors to review their 50 investments at least once every quarter. 45 43% • 34% of respondents review 40 their investment portfolio once 35 34% every month while 23% review it once every quarter. The 30 remaining 43% respondents review their investments either 25 23% once a year or even lesser often than a year (Please refer 20 to Chart No. 2). • 40% of elders believe in 15 seeking help of a financial planner while the rest believe 10 in using one’s own judgement. 5 However, only 9% have engaged financial 0 Once Once Once planners. Those in favor of Every Every Every a financial planner appreciate and acknowledge their Month Quarter Year expertise, the others don’t have enough trust to rely on Chart No. 3 I Trust on financial planner them. 60 60% 50 40 Believes in own judgement 30 9% 20 31% 10 0 Believes in services Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 31

SURVEY Importance of social engagement 56 Some of the suggestions received from our members in 54 WAYS T5O4A%VOID FALL context of social engagement 52 • Set up local city wise 50 groups to meet and interact with each other 48 physically • Orrganise comfortable 46 46% travel tours (with Covid-19 44 safety norms) 42 Not impacted • Engage the readers in online activities, arm chair Impacted moderately recreation etc. • Conduct age-appropriate Spending time on Pursuing competitions. Facebook, Whatasapp a hobby • Have more online sessions & YouTube on important health aspects. Attending online events/ classes

SURVEY Travel preferences • 76% of elders would like to travel to a destination within India while 24% prefer international travel. • 71% of elders would want to go on a vacation with their spouse while 17% would love to go with friends in addition to their spouses. • In terms of preferred destinations, the top 3 choices are – Pilgrimage sites (27%), Mountains/ hills (23%) and places near Oceans/ beaches (20%). Expert advice: • Fullfil your dreams of travelling when you are in an active mode. • Enjoy life without tension. • Take all precautions to prevent/ avoid Covid 19 infection. • Carry insurance, all medicines, protective clothing, good walking shoes and mobile phone. • Stay hydrated and drink plenty of water. • As far as possible carry home food, may be carry an Induction stove and try to cook your own food. Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 33

SURVEY Weight management for healthy aging • 97% of elders are aware of the need for healthy living. • Out of these respondents, 71% of elders consider managing their weight in golden years as most important while 26% consider this as one of the important aspects of good health. • 81% of elders are making active efforts to manage weight through some consistent effort. However, 13% have thought about weight management but haven’t done anything as yet. • Almost 100% of respondents consider diet control and exercise as primary ways to manage weight. Chart No. 5 I Importance of managing . Expert advice: weight for elders • Behavioral counselling and expert coaching is extremely important to 90 manage your weight. 80 • Will power and restrictions by spouse or family members may help. 70 • Don’t sit idle at home. Work is 60 worship. • All senior citizens should pay 50 attention to their daily diet, sleep 40 and physical activities. • Seniors should have atleast 6-8 30 hours of good quality sleep at night 20 and 20 minutes of power nap during day time. 10 • Avoid/ restrict/ regulate intake of 0 Takes Considers Considers Yet to sugar, salt and fat content in your active extremely important take any diet. important 34 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

SURVEY Hobbies & Interests • 100% of respondents have a hobby they pursue. • Majority of elders (42%) spend 1-3 hours • Hobbies range from fine arts like music, everyday on their hobbies while 15% are writing, sketching, painting and photography to able to invest more than 3 hours everyday achieving physical fitness by Yoga, Walking and which is phenomenal. Gardening. Many elders also love doing social • 72% of elders would like to attend work, travelling, creating YouTube content, classes to further hone their skills teaching and even studying! in respective hobbies. Chart No. 6 I Time spent by elders in pursuit of hobbies and interests 50 45 Expert advice: 40 • It is better to engage in constructive activities than sitting 35 idle. 30 • Feel young in your mind, read a lot and participate in your childrens’ 25 activities. 20 • Pursue a hobby. This keeps people engaged and provides them 15 happiness and creative satisfaction. 10 • Learn a new skill, take music lesson or learn to play an instrument, train 5 your mind every day, meet new people who have similar interests. 0 More than Between Less than 3 hours 1-3 hours a hour Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 35

FINANCE Know your own personal balance sheet What is Net Worth? Why does it matter for our elders? How to calculate it? Read the article to know more. By Samarth staff Net worth is the balance of your assets owe,” Mr. Mehta says. and liabilities at any one point in time. A positive net worth indicates your assets Calculating your net worth takes into account all of your sources of wealth outweigh your liabilities, meaning you’re on a and subtracts the debts you may have. Regularly good track to building wealth. A negative net calculating your net worth helps you get a real worth suggests there are parts of your financial time understanding of where you’re at with your life you need to pay attention to and improve. finances and gain insight into ways to improve While some amount of debt is inevitable for your life otherwise. most people, the higher your net worth, the more potential stability you have during times What does net worth mean? of economic upheaval including post retirement situations, and the better positioned you are to At its most basic, net worth is your personal take advantage of any opportunities that come balance sheet, according to Mr. Yashpal Mehta, your way. In order to understand and calculate a CA by profession and Samarth Ambassador. your net worth, you need to start by taking stock “Simply put, it’s what you own minus what you of all of your assets and liabilities. 36 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

FINANCE What are assets and liabilities? Assets assets and subtract the total value of the financial liabilities,” Mr. Mehta says. Assets are the financial instruments and things that you own,” says Mr. Mehta, Chairman One challenge you may face is understanding of Samarth Community Council and a retd. the value of your assets. “For instance, your Chartered Accountant. Some of the items that car was purchased for a certain amount, but it you can put in the “assets” column of your net immediately lost value when you drove it off the worth calculation include: dealer floor,” says Mr. Mehta. Your car’s resale • Cash in the bank, including savings accounts value may actually be less than the amount you • Investment account balances, including owe on it, turning what might seem like an asset into a liability. retirement account balances • Your home equity Similarly, asset values are often moving • Current price you could get from selling your targets, as stock prices fluctuate daily and even things that might seem stable, like your home’s car (if you have one) value, change based on current comparable • Valuable items you own, like collectibles, market values. artwork or jewellery etc. Because most assets and liabilities are dynamic, not static, it’s important to keep in Liabilities mind that any net worth calculation is simply a snapshot of your current situation. To Liabilities represent your obligations, or what you understand your net worth more holistically, owe to other people or companies in the market. you should consider tracking it over time to While they may increase your purchasing power, see patterns and look for opportunities to grow they reduce your overall net worth because they your net worth more quickly. represent money that isn’t truly yours. Liabilities may include: You can do this through a spreadsheet that • Any balance owed on personal loans you can track easily and update or through • Credit card balances budgeting and net worth aggregation platforms • The unpaid balance of your home mortgages provided by banks in India. • Outstanding student loans or car loans or Remember your net worth isn’t a reflection of education loans your personal value. Most people end up with a • Other obligations, such as alimony or child negative net worth at some point, and it doesn’t necessarily reflect poor financial habits. In life, support etc. you may have to take out student loans to cover your or your child’s education, for instance. And How to calculate net worth depending on the size of your loan, even if you’re making on-time payments, your net worth may Once you understand the value of your assets be negative for some time. So instead of getting and liabilities, calculating your net worth is very straightforward. “To complete a net worth analysis, start with the total value of financial Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 37

FINANCE Increase your income worried, please read on to know ways to raise If possible, boost your income by starting a your net worth. side hustle. You may also research ways to start a passive income stream, like through How to raise your net worth? Take the following steps to increase your net worth: Pay down debt Tackling debt reduces your liabilities. The fewer obligations you have, the more your assets can be used for your financial benefit. Consider using the snowball or avalanche method to get ahead of your debt. Debt Avalanche vs. Debt Snowball: An Overview Paying off debt is no easy task, especially if you just pay the minimum amount due each month. To get free and clear, you often have to accelerate payments. There are two distinct strategies to settle outstanding balances in this way: the debt avalanche method and the debt snowball method. Both debt avalanche and debt snowball apply to most kinds of consumer debt: personal, student, and auto loans; credit card balances; medical bills. (Please note that they do not work with, and shouldn’t be tried with, mortgage repayments.) Each method requires that you list out your debts and make minimum payments on all but one of them. That is the one you pay extra money towards, with the aim of wiping it out first. Once it’s erased, you target another balance; the extra money you apply towards it could be the minimum sum you had to pay on the erased debt. The two strategies diverge over which debt you single out first. In the debt avalanche method, you pay extra money toward the debt with the highest interest rate. With the debt snowball method, you pay down the smallest debt first and work your way up, regardless of the interest rate. While both are useful strategies to get debt out of your life, any one method might be easier for you to stick with and make a bigger impact on your finances. Key Takeaways • Debt avalanche and debt snowball are both types of accelerated debt repayment plans. • The debt avalanche method involves making minimum payments on all debt, then using any extra funds to pay off the debt with the highest interest rate. • The debt snowball method involves making minimum payments on all debt, then paying off the smallest debts first before moving on to bigger ones. • The debt avalanche method can result in paying less interest over time but requires discipline. • The debt snowball method can be more expensive but yields quicker results—valuable for maintaining motivation. 38 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

dividend investing or buying and renting Mr. Mehta points out. “Even if your net out real estate. worth isn’t at the number you’d hoped for, consider other factors. Maybe you have a Add more to your retirement and flexible job that allows you to be available investment accounts to your family.” “Time, freedom, health and happiness are Steady contributions to tax-advantaged also currencies,” he continues. “They’re accounts can help you grow your wealth not factored into a traditional net worth and increase your net worth over time. You analysis, but absolutely worth taking into can also add more to taxable investment account to live a full life.” accounts to boost your net worth while retaining access to liquidity. While net worth is important, “don’t forget to consider what you value in your life,” continued from pg 23 7. What to do if you fall Even after taking all the mentioned precautions, in case you have a fall, then do the following: • Take several deep breaths and remain still for a few moments. Do not try to get up immediately. • Once you’re over the initial shock of falling, take inventory: Do you feel pain? Did you hit your head? If you’re not in pain and don’t think you’ve hit your head, roll over onto your side and rest a bit—this lets your body and blood pressure to adjust. Slowly count to 30. • If anyone is at home then call for help and assistance in getting up. • If you are by yourself then get up on your hands and knees, and crawl to a stable chair, table, or counter. You may need to hold on to one of these objects to pull yourself up. Sit, and once you feel calm, call your doctor. They may want you to come in for an evaluation. • If you’re in pain, have hit your head, or feeling dizzy, nauseous, or otherwise sick, don’t move—getting up too fast or in the wrong manner could worsen any injury. Call for help if you can. If you’re alone and can’t alert anyone then you may have to crawl to a phone or door to summon assistance. Above all, don’t panic. Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 39

TRAVELOGUE By Col Ravi Malhotra TRAVEL travel Accomodation The trip started with a flight from Delhi to for all meals, caring staff, and serene ambience. Bengaluru followed by night train ‘Hampi The resort also organises local performance Express’ departing at 2200 hours to Hospet. It arrives there at 0710 hours. in the evening by the pool side, sharing stories from history of Hampi. At Hospet we had a pick up from Railway Station to our place of stay which was 7 km from Hospet train station. We chose to go around in a local transport which could take us to all the places where a 4 wheeler may not be able to go. This was our transport for next 3 days. We stayed at Heritage Resort Hampi. It has big rooms, very well laid out facilities, an exceedingly inviting swimming pool, nice buffet Col. Malhotra is an avid traveller and blogger. He has visited over 38 countries. In this article he has shared his experience of visting Hampi with our readers. He is a member of Samarth community and an active particpant in Samarth’s online get togethers every week where you can meet him. 40 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

TRAVELOGUE mighty Tungbhadra river. Finish the day with a visit to the ‘Monolithic Ganesha’. This huge Ganesha is also known as Mustard Ganesha as a Mustard trader had finanaced it construction for all devotees. Illustrated travel map by Jasmine Hortop www.jasminehortop.co.uk ITINERARY Day 1 Start the day by seeing the excavation and experience smaller Ganesha and proceed the granduer of Nandi to Hemkutha hills that has sculpture. Our history and a large number of temples mythology have so much to worth visiting. The area offer, one can only wonder offers a fascinating view of and discover. If energy Virupaksha temple. permits then take a boat ride to the Vitthala Temple post Walk through the old lunch slowly navigating the Bazaar which is still under The Stone Chariot, Vitthala temple Monolithic Ganesha VVooll 0043 | Issue 045 | samarth | 41

Ancient ruins near Tungabhadra river Underground Shiva temple Day 2 On the second day one may want to go across the Tungbhadra river, climb the 600 odd stemps and reach Anjana Hills located 4 kms from Hampi. This place is believed to be the birth place of Lord Hanuman. Also visit Pampasarovar, believed to be the birthplace of goddess Parvati. Hampi is an architectural marvel and home to the last Hindu kingdom in Carved sandstone Hazara Rama temple

TTRRAAVVEELLOOGGUUEE Lotus Mahal Queens Summer Palace the south - The Vijayanagara Kingdom. The Day 3 place has witnessed not only human hand On the third day do visit the Monolithic Narsimha, skills and visualisation at its best but also Hazara Rama temple, underground Shiva temple bloody wars for centuries. I would strongly and the Queens summer palace. These are iconic suggest everyone to read up about the place structures and their walls record scriptures from and its history. This will ensure that you various transactions between Vijayanagara kingdom actually experience what this place stands and the rest of the world. for and make memories worth cherishing through your lifetime. Historically, the name Hampi means ‘Champion’. It is indeed a champion amongst many tourist The information and photographs for the places in India. travleogue has been sourced from the blog of Col R. Malhotra. The link is given below http://ravi1101.blogspot.com/2015/11/ hampi-nov-it-was-treat-to-be-in-hampi. html Since experiencing Hampi is also physically demanding especially for elders, so it is advisable to not rush up the trip but enjoy it over a week at a relaxed pace. The famous ancient Stepped Tank VVooll 0043 | Issue 045 | samarth | 43

TRAVELOGUE 44 | samarth | Vol 04 | Issue 04

TRAVELOGUE Vol 04 | Issue 04 | samarth | 45

SAMARTH COMMUNITY PULSE The pandemic and lockdown prevented many of our in-person community outreach initiatives. After all, the safety of our members is of paramount importance to us. However, where there is a will, there is a way. We initiated a series of online events for our community members, partnered with various stakeholders, invited a series of experts to interact on various topics and tried to make a lasting impact on how our members are digitally engaged and supported throughout this time. Implementing Elder Line 14567 in India THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA resonate with millions of senior assists the elderly through a has extended the first pan- citizens across India. At present range of services that ensure India toll-free helpline 14567 Samarth team is implementing mental, emotional & physical for senior citizens called the Elderline - India’s first ever well-being; filling a crucial gap ‘Elder Line’ to provide free National Helpline for Senior in the eldercare ecosystem in information and guidance Citizens, across the 3 Indian India. You can access the video on pension and legal issues, states/ UTs of Rajasthan, extend emotional support, and Jharkhand, and Jammu & using the link (https://lnkd. intervene in cases of abuse. Kashmir. An initiative of the in/dq46Hzyn) to know more Samarth is the implementation Ministry of Social Justice and partner with Government Empowerment, Government of about the available services in 3 states/UTs of India. Mr. India, State Governments, Tata and share the information. Amitabh Bachchan has lent Trusts, and other partners, his voice and support for Elderline 14567 is a single the Elderline that is going to access toll-free number that Partnering with Navy Foundation SAMARTH COMMUNITY for elders, has partnered with the Navy Foundation’s Mumbai Chapter - an association of retired Naval Officers, for providing quality eldercare support to the families of the veterans, easing their journey as they sail through their golden years. 46 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05

COMMUNITY PULSE Celebrating “International Day of Older to bring together members Persons 2021 - Digital Equity for All from across the country over common interest of old and AT SAMARTH WE BELIEVE concert anchored by Mr. new Bollywood music. in embracing aging as an Vishal Malik, passionate adventure and hence on this singer and Director of international day of older Community Outreach at persons, Samarth propagated Samarth. Over 100 elders the idea and encouraged attended the online event and people to break stereotypes participated in full vigor for about ageing which are 90 minutes. Overall the event absolutely wrong and do not was a great success and have any scientific basis. All served as a unique platform elders need to feel better about aging in order to age better. On 1st October, Samarth team organized a musical evening and live online Laughter Yoga for Community Members LAUGHTER YOGA IS A physician in Mumbai, India, in and emotional workout every 1995. Dr. Kataria claims that day at 6:50 AM. Any member WONDER REMEDY FOR laughing yoga can help lift interested can join the online your mood, reduce stress, class using the zoom link, PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, strengthen your immune system, increase energy levels h t t p s : //u s 0 2 w e b . z o o m . u s / j AND SPIRITUAL AILMENTS. and improve your quality of Laughing yoga, also known life. Samarth has requested Dr. /9810103328?pwd=LzI2dm5 as laughter yoga, involves Kataria to extend his services a series of movement and to the community members n O H d J N X M 2 a 2 Z 0 M 2 xYd D d breathing exercises to and started morning laughter promote deliberate laughter. yoga sessions exclusively for ndz09 Though laughing therapy Samarth community members. One will have to join has been used for decades, This is a great opportunity to laughing yoga was discovered experience certain physical the session by keying in by Dr. Madan Kataria, a family activity along with mental 9810103328 as Meeting ID and 101010 as Password. Since its start on 22nd September, many members have benefitted immensely through the sessions. Vol 03 | Issue 05 | samarth | 47

COMMUNITY PULSE Weekly Samarth intermittent fasting. People evening for all members. This Milan are using it to lose weight, exclusive live concert is held improve their health and THE WEEKLY SAMARTH simplify their lifestyles. Many every Friday at 5:30 PM. MILAN EVENTS continue to studies show that it can have be a great source of fun and powerful effects on your In addition to enjoying some engagement for community body and brain and may even great Bollywood melodies, members. These events are help you live longer. But Is elders can request for interactive get-togethers Intermittent fasting healthy favorite songs and even get of enthusiastic seniors who for seniors? The excerpts an opportunity to perform have a lot MASTI and FUN from her session is uploaded before hundreds of fellow besides discussing topics of on Samarth’s YouTube seniors during the Open mic common interest or sharing Channel for the benefit of session at every concert. The thoughts on pre-decided members. Zoom link provided below themes. For example, during will work for all concerts, the Wednesday events On 13th October, Samarth between 5:30 and 6:30 PM, organized an expert session https://bit.ly/Samarth- our members shared their with renowned homoeopath, Musical-Evening experiences on various topics Dr. Anita R Daswani, member such as: of Hahnemann Medical We understand how • Travel adventures and the Society, Philadelphia. She important money matters spoke on the topic, ‘Age is are for senior citizens. In a Ramayana trail in Sri Lanka only a number.’ The session recent survey we conducted, • Net Worth sheet for was attended by 70+ people. more than 60% of seniors said that they have not done seniors Samarth has also started formal financial planning. • Teacher’s day and Gandhi a weekly online musical Almost 100% appreciate the need for it. Consequently, Jayanti The recordings of these sessions are available on our YouTube channel. On 24th September, Samarth organized an exclusive session with Dr. Nidhi Soni, MD (Geriatric Medicine & Consultant at Fortis Memorial hospital Gurgaon). Dr Soni specializes in management of Geriatric syndromes like falls, immobility, Delirium, functional loss etc. She spoke on the importance of 48 | samarth | Vol 03 | Issue 05