The Government College for Women, M A Road Srinagar last week organised a workshop on ‘Intergenerational Bonding’.
The event was organised by the department of Journalism and Mass Communication of the college in collaboration with National Institute of Social Defence, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Arungraha Regional Research and Training Centre on Ageing, Delhi.
The aim of the event was to sensitise youth about the importance of elderly in the society and highlight the various issues faced by the senior citizens.
Vice Chancellor, Cluster University Srinagar, Prof. (Dr.) Qayyum Husain was the Chief Guest on the occasion. The main resource persons for the workshop were Nodal Officer for Geriatric Medicine, Kashmir Division and Head, Department of Geriatric Medicine, JLNM Hospital Dr. Zubair Saleem and Advocate J&K High Court and Panel Lawyer District Legal Services Authority Srinagar Bisma Khan.
Dr. Zubair in his address shared his experience as a geriatric consultant and researcher to highlight the problems faced by senior citizens.
He cited statistics and some case studies during his elaborate presentation on the theme.
Advocate Bisma Khan spoke about the legal aspects of the theme and apprised the audience about the various provisions of Maintenance and Welfare of Senior Citizens Act.
In his address, Vice Chancellor, Cluster University Srinagar, Prof. (Dr.) Qayyum Husain highlighted the role of society in addressing the issue.
“We should not expect the government to do everything. We can do a lot at our own individual level and as a society. For instance, charity is a central tenet of Islam and a religious obligation. We can use it also to build old age homes for such elderly people who have been abandoned by their families,” Prof. Qayyum said.
Speaking on the occasion, Principal of the host college, Prof. (Dr) Nasreen Aman referred to some of the reasons responsible for lack of intergenerational bonding including lack of proper communication.
Earlier, HoD Journalism and Mass Communication Dr. Suhail Ahmad in his welcome address spelt out the theme of the programme and its relevance in contemporary times.
Dean Social Science, Cluster University, Dr. Mujahid was present on the occasion. Besides the senior faculty members, over 100 students attended the event.