| Publication: Times Of India Kolkata; | Date: Nov 22, 2009; | Section: Kolkata; | Page: 2 |
Elders Get (B)logged In
Gauri Gharpure | TNN
Kolkata: The next time you see the username ‘zippy18’ on a blog, don’t think there is a gangly teenager at the other end. It might be a fiftyish professor tuning in to the times, a retired government worker finally fulfilling his desire to write and remark, or even an eighty-yearold sharing the joy of being in a three-generation portrait.
The blogosphere is getting more and more of these seniors. Indians on the other side of 50, many of them even in their seventies, are now turning avid bloggers, celebrating in the youthfulness of the Internet. Politics, business, science, military stuff and even love and relationships — they are eager to air their views on almost everything under the sun.
Santanu Sinha Choudhury (58) took to blogging for the “instant feedback” the medium accords. “Even for those who publish a book, interaction with their readership is not as frequent,” says the Kolkata resident. Pradip Biswas (56), a Kolkata-based geologist, finds time to write stories on his blog even from remote forests in Chhattisgarh.
For 76-year-old Abraham Tharakan, blogging is therapeutic. He says his blog pulled him out of trauma and depression after he had a bypass surgery two months back.
Chennai-based Lalitha Ramakrishnan (82) is one of the few octogenarian bloggers. “I started blogging in May 2006 to keep my late husband’s memory alive for my grand and greatgrandchildren. Besides, I have lived a long life and seen history being made at various stages. The medium is a boon for an old woman like me who has many stories to tell,” she says.
Nirav Sanghvi, founder of Blogadda, says at least 500 registered users were born before 1950. “For the young, blogging is a fun tool and a convenient extension of their online profile. But for the old, adapting to new media is not as easy. Due to their age and experience, what they say holds a lot of weight. Many are breaking the language barrier and blogging in their mother-tongue by using new software. This is a significant leap for a generation that, till recently, struggled with internet phobia,” says Sanghvi.
Tharakan feels senior citizens should start blogging for health reasons. “Blogging requires you to recollect events that happened decades ago and develop your language skills to present them clearly. With so much thought and research going into each post, it stimulates my brain and keeps me active,” says the former general manager of Apollo Tyres.
Mysore-based retired Times of India correspondent G V Krishnan (71) says the simplicity of blogging fascinated him. “It took just a few minutes to register and start writing,” he says. Many senior citizens take up community welfare issues on his group blog Mysore Blog Park.
In spite of occasional bickering, bloggers remain a closeknit community who transcend cultural, even national boundaries. The far-reaching circle of friendship is hard to ignore. Kolkata resident Mallika (51) says blogging can also bridge generation gap. “Many of my daughter’s friends read my blog Eve’s lungs and I have also made friends in their 20s and 30s,” she says.
Padma Ramchandran (60) is known as The Hip Hop Grandmom in the blogosphere. “I loved to write but the dependence on publishers, the long-winding selection process, often upset me. Now, my blog gives me immense creative satisfaction,” she says.
Suranga Date (60) dabbles with Microsoft paintbrush and presents ‘art commentary on current happenings’ on Reghotya. Vivek Patwardhan (58), who retired as the head of HR, Asian Paints, airs his thoughts on Vivek Uvacha. The two Mumbaikars also contribute to Limerickwala, a group blog that presents a light-hearted take on current happenings.
AVID BLOGGERS: Santanu Chaudhuri & Lalitha Ramakrishnan
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