They fight Corona concerns through music

Under the banner of an organisation called the Vanprastha, a group of about 70 senior citizens of Hisar city in Haryana have devised a unique way to beat their Corona virus related fears. They hold online webinars to enthuse the fellow members through evergreen old film songs that thrilled them in their youthful days. They also listen firsthand the experiences of fellow members who have been through the dreaded disease to learn precautions.They have christened these meetings as Mangal Kaamna Samaroh (Goodwill Gatherings). There are anecdotes and titbits in between that bring bouts of laughter. Sad songs are banned as the members find them depressing.
Those who entertained them in the third Goodwill Gathering on Saturday included former Director General of Haryana Police, Rajbir Deswal and three professors, Dr. RK Saini,Dr. SS Dhawan and Dr. Yogesh Suneja, all accomplished singers who could source background orchestra from the net to embellish their presentations.They presented about 20 songs, most by Deswal. His gems included, 'Main zindagi ka sath nibhata chala gaya', 'Yun to hamne lakh hasin dekhe hain', and 'Suhani raat dhal chuki', that seemed to mark the climax as the gathering session went till early evening. Some called it a musical evening with Deswal.
Dr. Saini came up with 'Pardesiyon se na akhiyan milana', while Dr Dhawan presented 'Tauba ye matwali chaal'.In between, Yugantar, the 14-year old grandson of known author Dr. Shamim Sharma, sang 'Jhilmil sitaron ka aangan hoga' to the appreciation of all.  Former Director of DDnews, Ajeet Singh who moderated the show, cited the example of the former Additional Director General of All India Radio, Harish Segon who along with hospital treatment for his Corona ailment, practiced singing taking it as a breathing exercise. Corona afterall is a lung disease and we breath through lungs. Segon recovered but still continues singing as an exercise. He advised fellow seniors to avoid morning walks in view of extreme cold conditions with temperatures getting near zero. They should also minimise their movements outside their homes, use masks, keep distances and proper hygiene like frequent thorough hand washing.
The two and half hour programme also saw participation of retired IAS officer KB Jandial from Jammu, former Hisar Commissioner and IAS officer PC Bidhan from Panchkula, former Deputy Director General of All India Radio Sukhjinder Kaur from Delhi. Prof. Harish Bhatia was  the technical coordinator of the programme through Google Meet app as about 40 people joined this event.  General Secretary of the Vanprastha, Dr. JK Dang announced that the next Goodwill Gathering on coming Saturday, the 26th of December, will feature Dr. Deepshikha Pathak from Pune who holds a PhD degree on the music of legendary singer KL Sahgal. She will present a similar programme of evergreen film songs by female singers of bollywood featuring not only Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle, but also Devika Rani, Kanan Bala, Suraiya, Noor Jahan and Mubarak Begum.
The  Vanprastha group comprises mainly of retired professors of the three universities at Hisar but there are some engineers, bankers, managers and also two media persons. Since 2007, they have been meeting every Wednesday and Friday for two hours to laugh away their blues, exchange pleasantries and entertain themselves by celebrating birthdays and other important occasions in the life of its members. They also have been organising extension lectures on important issues of the day. Their children are working either in foreign lands or in distant Indian cities. Thus these families of husband and wife only explore new fora like the Vanprastha for their social interaction now when most are in their seventies.