Name: Adersh Sreedharan

Guide: Prof. Sudesh Balan

Course: Visual Communication

Credits: Adobe Lightroom

Understanding the Lives of the Elderly

They have been a part of the world from a long time, they are the living treasure we will find today, full of life experiences and ideologies. Above all, their unique stories; the moments that still remain in their long term memory are the ones we shall seek. They are the elderly people. Old age, our destiny. We are all looking forward to that stage and every decision we take today, our lifestyle, social life, and every single thing around us matters. That is going to define our old age. This project is undertaken to understand the lives of elderly people and to celebrate it, by featuring glances from their life, the richness among them.

Sahwaas is situated at a distance of 1.5 km from Badlapur station west in Maharashtra. It is a beautiful home for senior citizens amidst serene surroundings of Dubebaug, along the banks of Ulhas River.
It was an amazing experience visiting the place and interacting with the people there. People singing in the front lawn, playing caroms, reading news paper and talking about happenings around the world, having food all together, or just sitting in the garden.
The interesting characters I met and listening to their stories about past experiences was everything what I was looking for.

It was a difficult task to capture images of elderly people. Most of the time I had to ask permission before, since they are too sensitive and if I get the permission they will be very conscious in front of the camera. So I had to take images without them noticing after I tell them that I am done.

Camera Used :
FUJIFILM X-Pro 2

Lenses Used (prime lenses) :
FUJINON XF16mm F1.4 R
FUJINON XF35mm F1.4 R

Elderly people back in ancient times were respected or despised, and honoured. And people were defined as ‘old’ when they are not capable of performing useful tasks rather than their years. But today, they are often neglected and overlooked, they are no longer the bearers of wisdom. Or this is what we thought till now. Just like the concept of elderly homes gave us an idea of loneliness and suffering. We thought people were sent to old age homes when they become a burden to all. But its not anymore. In today’s world it is all just a misconception.