WHAT IS 'OLD'?

 

“Old age isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative”- Maurice Chevalier.

On the golf course the other day, my partner and I were taking a coffee break when someone came to me and asked how old I was. When I gave him the number, he said I was an inspiration to him. Mindful of the ‘nazar na lug jaye’ syndrome, I quickly pointed at my partner and said, “He is 91”. The inquirer duly bowed and touched my partner’s feet.

We got talking some more and my partner said, “Marshal Of The Indian Air Force Arjan Singh was playing golf twice a week at 98. I told them of my father-in-law’s good friend, Shri Dharma Vira, who played till his end at 94.

Back at home, I happened to remember the ballad ‘What is Youth’ sung by a troubadour in Franco Zeferelli’s 1968 brilliant movie “Romeo and Juliet”. That led me to wonder ‘What is Old’ and I decided to look for the answer in what some famous persons have opined.

Jules Renard said, “It’s not how old you are; it’s how you are old.” Or “Age  is a question of mind over matter; if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter” from Satchel Paige. The legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali formerly Cassius Clay, declared, “Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are.”

Ingrid Bergman said something sweet, “Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath but the view is much better.” A contribution from Eleanor Roosevelt, “Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.” On a truly positive note, a quote from ‘Unknown’ goes, “Age is simply the number of years the world has been enjoying you.” 

Getting back to golf, I like playing fast and often get frustrated by a slow, doddering foursome in front. I used to curse calling them ‘old fogeys’ till it occurred to me, hey, I am not so young myself. So I was encouraged by Francis Bacon’s lines, “I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.”

Also relevant is an excellent one by the great George Bernard Shaw- “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” Michael Pritchard put a spirited spin on this by substituting ‘laughing’ for ‘playing’.

I don’t know what alternative Chevalier was referring to but Daniel Francois Espirit Auber said, “Ageing seems to be the only available way to live a long life!” Of course, in the delightful musical “Gigi”, Chevalier is content singing, “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore”.

There are many songs about old age but for me the perennial favourite will remain Nat King Cole’s “You Will Never Grow Old.” His counsel as in the opening and closing lines-

‘You will never grow old, while there is love in your heart,

Time may silver your golden hair, as you dream in an old rocking chair.

So keep my love in your heart, remember the love tales we told,

For with my love in your heart, my darling,

You will never grow old, you will never grow old.”

To all my dear old ones, ‘Stay young’!