When service becomes worship
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In 2012, two teenagers from Ilford Ashwin Varma and Janish Pillai completed a three-month work placement focussing on MAUK’s flagship project- The Elders Services. The title of their report presented to the MAUK Board was ‘Trips, Trips and more Trips!’ Taking on board the recommendations made in their report, the successive Director Board made changes to the way The Elders Services are run with trips and outings being prioritised.
As 2017 draws to a close, MAUK 60+ Sisters Club members were surprisingly treated to one last trip for the year on Tuesday 14 November. This fourth trip of the year was to see the Christmas lights in London and dinner at the famous Halal Restaurant in Aldgate. The others were to the ‘Sensational Butterflies’ exhibition at the Natural History Museum on 8 May, the SeaQuarium and Beaches at Clapton-on-Sea on 7 June and Battersea Park Peace Pagoda on 28 June.
As with the previous trips, all world issues were discussed during this trip. Influence of media, cultural changes and unethical politics in Kerala featured dominantly in these discussions. Consensus onremedies for most of these societal disintegrations was also agreed. Despite such momentous
achievements attained during the short time span of the trip, the aunties remain polarised on the most burning question of their discussion during the four visits; Which is the best Malayalam TV serial? And it remains to be seen whether we can reach an amicable agreement in this life and death matter during our trips planned for 2018.
On a serious note, we at MAUK are delighted that more and more Elders from our community are utilising the tailor-made and evolving services we
provide on a regular basis. Currently, the 60+ Sisters club meet every Tuesday afternoons from 1 pm to 4 pm and Elders Club meet every Thursday from 10 am to 3 pm.
Together with Befriending Service ‘MAUK Elders Service’ provides wide-ranging and lifechanging activities including light exercise session, diabetes
prevention programme, arts and crafts, reading and discussions, singing and poetry, food sampling, traditional Kerala lunch, card games and much more in a safe, secure and pleasant environment.
Despite all the above activities,we believe that most of ourElders come to these clubs to interact with their peers and maintain their companionship.
They come to spend time together, share their memories, talk about their weak and check up on each other. It is evident from their smiling faces that
any pain, sorrows or problems they may have, are forgotten at least during the time they spend together.
Scientific and medical research suggest that social interactions among the elderly, such as participating in activities like those at our Elders Service can have multiple benefits. In fact, some research suggests that our social wellbeing is as equally important as taking medications for our mental and
physical well-being- especially for the elderly. MAUK also has a moral responsibility to ensure the welfare of our Elders and provide them with a
platform that values them, respects them and caters to their needs. These are the reasons why MAUK have ring-fenced the Elders Service, despite a
shortage of funding, since grants from governmental organisations were stopped many years ago due to austerity.
We are aware that there are many other Elders within our local community that our services have yet to reach. We appreciate that in many families the Elders have a vital role to play such as upbringing of grandchildren, assisting with household chores, etc. However, we warmly welcome all Elders and request their families to encourage them to make use of MAUK Elders services. For Elders who have severe mobility issues, we can assist with
obtaining Dial-A-Ride membership- a free door-to-door service from Transport for London.
As we look forward to more people taking part in our enriching services and many more memorable outings in the years to come, I wish to thank all those who have made the 2017 Elders trips possible including:
Jayan Pillai and Sreekumar Kunjuraman for arranging the minibus from Ford Motor Company. Lesley Ireland and Lalli Balli of Ford Motor company for kindly letting us borrow the minibus on several occasions for MAUK use Vinod Navadhara for assisting on the day of the trips. Mahaboob of Halal
Restaurant, Aldgate for providing an excellent service and scrumptious dinner at a heavily discounted rate during our final trip of the year.
Special thanks to Ms Rajeswari Sadasivan, Director in charge of 60+ Sisters Club for being the life and breath of MAUK Elders Services. Rajeswari Aunty, the wife of the Late Sadasivan (Trustee of MAUK from 1986 to 2004), has been at the forefront of planning and delivering services to the Elders since 2011.
Spending time with these lovely ladies during the four trips and at their sessions at Kerala House has been both a learning curve and blessing
for me. I was taken back by their knowledge of current affairs and humbled by the stories of the hardship they faced and the sacrifices they made. Listening to their life experiences have made me realise how indebted our second and third generation are to our Elders as their sacrifices know no bounds, even at their prime age. The knowledge of how much they value their independence despite any physical restrictions reminded me of how important it is for MAUK to continue providing this service. Their pride in the achievement of their children and grandchildren was evident in their conversations, yet their reluctance to depend on their children is the testament to their resilience and strength. Their unity and bond in an ever polarising world and the love and affection they have showered me reinforced my belief in humanity. I sincerely thank them for enriching my life with their knowledge and experience and for giving me the opportunity to be at their service.
MAUK, being the first Malayalee community organisation in the UK, has always been a service-orientated organisation whose activities has evolved
with the needs of the community. We are proud of the services we provide to our Elders as we believe that serving is the only true form of worship.
Sreejith Sreedharan
Secretary | MAUK