Life Of The Middleclass Aged In Kolkata

Book Code: 1111016927408

Sinjini Roy

ABOUT THE BOOK

Instead of blaming the younger generation for the “uncared”, lonely, deserted, suffering elderly, as is done in most of the literature and the media, the present book portrays the life of the middleclass aged in Kolkata in the light of changing family relations in the changing urban social space. The book explores the social processes through which the present generation of the elderly population travels from multi generational big households to single member households and reach a stage when the family care system breaks down. The rationalization of family size through fertility control, the growing life expectancy, the ever-growing spatial movement of the younger generation often leave the middleclass elderly alone. This land the urban middleclass greying population in a serious care crisis, unheard of before, a making of their own, and they try to make manifold adjustments to cope with it. They often move into a house close to their married daughter's house, visit their sons/daughters who have settled down in a distant city, within or outside the country, cement the conjugal relationship stronger, hire the services of domestic help, use modern gadgets to keep in close touch with their child/children on line, and soon. When all these efforts fail, they move to old age homes in search of care and security.The will to live and live a good life never dies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Graduating from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata, Dr. Sinjini Roy completed Masters from CSSS, Jawaharlal Nehru University and PhD from the Department of Sociology of North Bengal University. Based on her research, Dr. Roy has published 10 articles in national and international journals. Currently, she is working as Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Government College, New Town Rajarhat, Kolkata.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................. 9
List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................... 11
Transliteration of Bengali Words and Phrases ..................................................................................... 13

1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 17

2. The Aged in “Literature”: A Review ............................................................................................... 47

3. Social and Economic Background of the Elderly ............................................................................. 73

4. Households and Families of the Aged in Salt Lake .......................................................................... 89

5. Households and Families of the Aged Living in Old Age Homes .................................................... 117

6. Dispersal of Family Members and its Impact on the Life of the Aged ............................................. 145

7. Life of the Aged in Salt Lake City ................................................................................................ 167

8. Life of the Aged in Old age Homes .............................................................................................. 197

9. Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 221

Bibliography ................................................................................................................................... 235

Index ............................................................................................................................................. 245