India's third oldest institution of higher education aims to reach out to the city's retired people and engage them through group-based outreach activities. With mental well-being gaining importance and taking centre stage, especially for the elderly population, 200-year-old Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute in Pune has launched a novel course named ‘Golden Hours’ targeting senior citizens.
This India’s third oldest institution of higher education aims to reach out to the city’s retired people and engage them through group-based outreach activities. At least two such bilingual courses conducted recently gained a huge response, giving the organisers confidence to continue their efforts for the largely neglected age group.
Professor Pramod Pandey, Vice Chancellor of Deccan College, has been a member of the core committee of the Cognitive Science Research Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) for 12 years now. His knowledge about the existing cognitive problems among senior citizens helped Deccan College recognise the need for engaging with the older people, at the time when college administration was considering to design and launch newer courses.
“Be it loss of memory or other brain-related problems, we are aware of these issues,” Professor Pandey told The Indian Express.
“Even at the time of retirement, people these days are healthy and at the peak of their knowledge. No other institution, so far, is offering such a course, wherein the elderly are kept engaged in such a manner that their brain functioning remains active, and thus can delay or slow down the onset of cognitive disorders,” he said.
The next batch of the course, to be offered in Marathi and English, will be held on April 22. The maximum capacity is 20 participants. Registrations for the half-day course (9.30 am – 1.30 pm), close on April 20. Registration can be done at
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdrNmjV34TtJBB75XEu6KdctnFi6ypFc_N7UTNAY5PFchjUOQ/viewform. The course fee is Rs 500. For enquiries, contact at 9764005909.
‘Golden Hours’ will include a guided tour of the college’s Archaeology and Maratha History museums, craft, photobooth, and painting activities, a heritage walk inside the two-centuries-old college, and a visit to the study room of freedom fighter Balgangadhar Tilak.
(Anjali Marar is the Science Communication and Outreach Manager at the Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru).