It was a celebration that would not end with cake-cutting but marked a continued affirmation.
Monoshij, the mental health platform of the Techno India Group, organised the event for the residents of Snehodiya, a senior citizens' home, and the members of Swapnobhor, a club for senior citizens.
Monoshij rejuvenates minds, especially of senior citizens, by connecting them to life through socialisation. To do so, they organise events every Thursday to bring together the residents of Snehodiya and the members of Swapnobhor, and infuse in them a zest for life.
Co-chairperson at the Techno India Group, Manoshi Roy Chowdhury said she loved to see the happiness on the faces of the senior citizens who had gathered for the event. “I remember the time when we made 223 senior citizens, who were troubled by the thought of Covid and their children returning from outside Calcutta, sing along with us and have fun. Making them forget their troubles even for that short time was truly an achievement for us. Since then, we started to organise these meetings on a weekly basis along with seven or eight students from Techno India Public School and the Techno India colleges, who always lend us a hand,” she said. In the past, the platform had had helped the elderly people cope with digitalisation, by providing them with computer training.
A student shakes a leg along with elderly residents.
An elderly resident jives with support
The guests, Debashis Sen, chairman of NKDA and managing director of Hidco, and singer Tathagata Sengupta were felicitated by Roy Chowdhury.
The felicitation was followed by the cake-cutting ceremony with the Techno India students singing along. The cake was distributed as the guests and Roy Chowdhury gave their inaugural speeches. The students then took the stage with music and dance moves.
Mehom Choudhury, a first year student from the IT department of Techno Main Campus, was thrilled to have helped in putting the event together. She also sang in what was her first event for Monoshij. "It feels wonderful to see the senior citizens happy like this. This initiative by Monoshij helps a lot in dealing with their loneliness. Giving them even a little bit of enjoyment feels so good," said the aspiring engineer, who was already looking forward to the next event.
Finally, Sengupta was called on stage. He gave a heart-felt performance of retro songs that had the elderly listeners nodding their heads, clapping their hands and tapping their feet throughout.