Growing old

When do you know that you have grown old? Is there a definite time, a particular stage or an age, the crossing of which makes you old? Or is it relative? Here, we make a small study into the matter:

1. Greying of hair and more importantly the beard: The most obvious physical manifestation of ageing and which can be and which is practically dismissed nowadays as being the result of a variety of contributing factors and not merely age.

2. There is a stage in life when you are the youngest one around. The youngest one in the group, often bullied and sometimes loved. Then you are the youngest in your class. You are the youngest to scale many heights at such tender age. Then age begins catching up. You graduate to a 'dada' (elder brother) from 'bhaiti' (younger brother). The status quo remains for sometime after which the number of people you call bhaiti increases exponentially compared to the ones you call dada. Then suddenly you graduate to 'Uncle'. It starts harmlessly enough. Some child sitting on his mother's lap on the adjoining seat in the bus calls you that. And then slowly, it becomes a recurring phenomenon occurring at an alarming rate! And when married people call you by names like 'dada' uncle etc., then it becomes outright scary!

3. My extended family is quite large. The family tree spread over almost seven generations is confined to a small area. This gives rise to certain intricacies. I remember an old man whom I saw and mentally made a note to call grandfather addressing my grandfather as 'grandpa'! That meant he was my elder brother. I was okay with that. But then I realised that he had two sons and even grandchildren! What did that make me? I felt ancient at the tender age of eight.

4. You see a college going student of the female species with attractive features. You follow her movements and are staring in rapt attention when your companion scolds you-"what the hell are you staring at? If you had married at the right time, your daughter would have been this age." Slightly off the mark, but true nevertheless. Sigh!

Growing old has its advantages too, nevertheless. But the memories of times gone by, of youth, of a carefree existence are hard to forget. Thats why we probably don't want to age, don't feel like giving way and that was why probably Bryan Adams sang 'Eighteen till I die'!