The Rotary Club of Bombays' acclaimed Ananda Yaan program was launched as an elder day care centre for underprivileged residents of Central Mumbai six years ago with one center at Byculla.
Said Manoj Patodia, the Club president, “In the past six years we have extended the programme to two more centres, one at E.Moses Road and last year we launched a centre at Mazgaon. This third centre is celebrating its first anniversary, and its membership has doubled from 40 to 80."
The anniversary celebration recently saw one of the elders, Aruna Patekar narrating how this program had helped members in several ways. The Shankar Mahadevan Academy (SMA) had sent two of its teachers Anushree Datar and Kshitija Joshi to regale the audience with their songs.
The programme, which is conducted in partnership with Dignity Foundation, not just provides elders a place to meet five days a week, but also organizes classes in yoga, zumba and antakshari. Members are also taken for picnics, movies and music shows. Health check-ups are also organized and cataract surgeries performed. Dignity Foundation chairperson Sheilu Srinivasan also spoke on the occasion.
