Meet the 90-plus year-olds who are living their full life through lockdown

These inspiring nonagenarians have been active through lockdown, from helming films to teaching music, between video calls with the grandkids

August 13, 2020 01:27 pm | Updated 09:06 pm IST

Supriya Cheriyan

Supriya Cheriyan

'Music keeps me going'

Supriya Cherian, (95) Chennai

I drove till I was 90. Then my children stopped me saying it is not safe any more. When I was 80 I did a road trip from Trivandrum to Allepey. Now at 95, I am mostly at home because there aren’t too many people my age to talk to. But there is enough to keep me busy even during this lockdown. And no, I never put on the television.

Music keeps me going. I try and play the piano as often as possible, to see if I still remember the tunes. Lately, I have been playing a lot of Rabindra Sangeet and singing along. I was told after 95 people can’t really sing (laughs). But I will sing a line for you, you be the judge of that. This song is called ‘Bhubaneshwar He’. When I sang this in Mogadishu and in Trivandrum, both cities where I used to live earlier, even people who did not understand the lyrics came up to me and said it made them cry.

I learnt to play the piano when I was in school in Calcutta. I did not have one at home so I used to play the tunes on an electric harmonium. I was able to play English music. My sister used to play the violin and together we would perform duets. Songs like ‘It’s a long way to Tipperary’ and ‘Oh my darling’ were my favourites back then. Those songs are evergreen. I can also play the sitar and the esraj. After marriage I had four children and I did not find the time to play the piano. Now I have a lot of time to catch up on it. I wonder where my music books are, though.

Recently, I was part of a music video titled ‘Livin Like It’s Me.’ Sometime in the next couple of months I have a video session with students of music therapy from the Berklee College of Music, Boston. I will be talking to them about how music has helped me and continues to.

My other interest is reading The Hindu everyday. Every page of it, top to bottom. Some of the news items that I find interesting, I read them again so that I don’t forget. And I love stitching, especially darning. If you have anything, bring it over (laughs).

(As told to Priyadarshini Paitandy)

The joy of sketching

Vimala Ramamurthy (93), based in Chennai

I got married at the age of 13, so I studied up to Class VIII. My husband was a banker. We lived in various cities in South India as he had a transferable job. We have three sons and three daughters.

When I was in my late 60s, my daughter suggested that I learn art in order to ward off boredom, and enrolled me in a postal art class where I would receive materials through post. The course helped me a lot and I started sketching cows and temples, themes I was familiar with.

Four years ago my grandson GV Raman, presented me with a book of sketches by Manohar Devadoss, Multiple Facets of Madurai , and he explained to me how in spite of being visually challenged, he had made such intricate work. He encouraged me to try something like that and gave me all the materials that I required.

Vimala Ramamurthy

Vimala Ramamurthy

When I opened the book, I was spellbound by the work. As I had spent a substantial part of my life in Madurai, his sketches of that city caught my attention and rekindled memories of my younger days. Two years ago I started replicating his work, I would observe the work and recreate it. It has now become an obsession, day and night I keep working. During lockdown, I completed almost four sketches, and in total completed 30 works of art. I am now sketching the Maiya Mandapam in the Vaigai River in Madurai, and it is my wish to gift this to my maanaseega guru Manohar Devadoss on September 10, his birthday.

I have met and interacted with him twice and it was such an unforgettable experience. I spent a long time with him at his residence in December 2019, I asked him many questions and he answered them all patiently. What I do is just scribble like a child and copy his work. It gives me much joy to sketch iconic locations of Madurai such as Naikar Mahal, Madurai Sandhai and Pudhu Mandapam.

I am a dog lover, especially stray dogs and I collect money from my grandchildren and use it to educate underprivileged girls and boys. I can call myself tech-savvy, as I have learnt to use smart phones. I periodically send voice messages to my family members, and weekends are packed as I make video calls to my 11 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren who are in different parts of the world. I love to browse YouTube and choose content that I like to watch.

I hope I will be able to complete the sketch which I intend to give to my guru. Will lockdown end by that time? Will I be able to meet him personally and hand it over to him?

(As told to Chitradeepa Anantharam)

Helming a short film

SN Bhatt (93), based in Chennai

Is being a nonagenarian my fault?

Ever since March, I have been at loggerheads with my family. Whenever I wish to go out, even if it is for a short while, I face opposition. Initially, I felt miserable spending time at home as I am generally used to going to my office (I have a hammocks business) on an everyday basis. But considering the health and risk factors, I understand their concerns.

I have thus started concentrating my energies on my other passions: film and music. I helmed a short film titled Corona Droham , which is a fictional tale of a senior citizen’s travails during lockdown. Besides, I have also been practising several of my film dialogues — both past and present — with my family members and domestic help.

SN Bhatt

SN Bhatt

Music has also kept me going these few months. I completed scripting and putting together a song titled ‘Corona Prayer’, based on popular melody ‘Uyire’ from Bombay , for a Chennai-based film group called Wanderlust. Whenever I feel a little down, I also try dancing to popular, fast numbers; I just make up steps I feel like without any practice. My last attempt was shaking a leg to Shakira’s ‘Waka Waka’ that I tried out one evening after dinner and asked my grandson to film. Everyone loved it!

(As told to Srinivasa Ramanujam )

'Happiest when I am crocheting'

A Saradamma (93), Thiruvananthapuram

Crocheting is an ideal pastime. It helps you forget your worries and keeps you engaged. Tablecloths are my speciality. I like creating figures of children in my pieces. All the patterns are in my head. I learnt to crochet from my classmates when I was in Class IV or V, just the basic stitches. I left crocheting completely a few years later after I got married. I had no time for anything with eight children, their children… Once my grandchildren were also grown up, I had time on my hands.

I enjoy giving a helping hand with the household work. But as age advances, there are difficulties. About 16 years ago, I picked up the threads of my hobby and began crocheting again. Then I learnt on my own. It proves that you can achieve anything with hard work and dedication. In fact, you will find my work in all my children’s and grandchildren’s houses. Time just flies when I am with my threads. During the lockdown and even otherwise, I am happiest when I am crocheting.

A Saradamma

A Saradamma

Somehow books and I never got together. I fall asleep the moment I pick up a book, then and now. I was not a good student. It was embroidery and threadwork that I was interested in. Till 11 pm, I am with my threads. No, I don’t have any problem with my fingers or eye sight. Both my eyes were operated upon a few years ago for cataract. My belief is that my health improves with more and more crochet. For my 93rd birthday on August 2, my grandson Aswin Kumar gifted me a basket of coloured threads; just what I wanted. I have been gifted gold a couple of times but this gift filled my heart. So far, I have only worked with white threads. But now I am working with the coloured threads, a little more style, eh..?

However, none of my four daughters or my granddaughters have shown any interest in learning crochet. They are happy to learn everything but crochet. Once I am gone, there will be no one to crochet anything in my family.

(As told to Saraswathy Nagarajan)

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