But they don't want to, so the elders have been put out of their own homes like the much worn-out furniture. Prithi Chand, like many of his companions, spends his time staring at the passersby outside the old-age home or wandering aimlessly here and there. Other elderly residents occasionally watch television provided by the management or totter to the nearest Temple or Gurdwara to pray. But time crawls at snail's pace for all of them. "We are just waiting for death to release us," they say.

The elderly ladies bask in the weak winter sun -- chilly as it is, nature still offers more warmth than their own kinfolk. Kamala's knitting needles click rhythmically: she's still fully capable of making a sweater. "I want to make one for my grandchild ... I wish she would come here," she says. Seventy-two-year-old Janaki has a son and grandchildren who are married but they are all leading their own lives. "It used to hurt earlier but now I have accepted my life the way it is," says Janaki losing control over her tears.

Pushpa, also aged 72, has fought the years with a pure belief in the Almighty. A victim of dowry, she has managed to stand like a rock in adverse circumstances and is still trying to make the best out of life in the Old Age Home. Veeranbai has a spinal disorder that bends her double and compels her to move very, very slowly. After all, even a small slip could mean a broken bone.

Dhani Ram Chowdhary was a journalist by profession, and he was the proud father of a promising journalist son ... who threw the old man out of the house the moment he wrote the will in his son's name. The 72-year-old simply keeps to himself and finds it difficult to mingle with the other residents who fail to share his interests. The Home, run by the UT Administration, has been providing the senior citizens with boarding, lodging and food free of cost plus a small monthly pocket allowance of Rs 100 to every resident.

"By the beginning of the next year, the Social Welfare Department will hand over the charge of this home to a private body who has been regularly taking interests brightening the lives of these citizens," informed K.K. Sharma, Director Social Welfare, Chandigarh.