It was the month of October 2022, when our people were gradually coming out of the trauma of the COVID 19 outbreak. Many had suffered, some had lost their loved ones, families were unable to see each other due to travel restrictions and human psyche had taken a beating. We all came out of this scarred but resilient in our efforts - both in the present and for the future.

Three senior ladies from Udaipur - Seema Shah, a Chartered Accountant, Dr. Manju Lodha a healthcare specialist and Shalini Arora, a Mass Communication professional came together and conceived the idea of "Pujya", where care and support for members of their peer group was the genesis.

While "Pujya" was established in October 2022, it took its legal identity as a Trust in Januay 2023. According to Seema Shah, one of the founding members, Pujya is a private, non-residential senior citizen care centre set up with an aim to provide the senior members of our society with a unique and much needed environment of sharing, caring, respect and support in their daily lives.

Over the last few months, the members have taken part in various activities, like celebrating Children's Day, Diwali, Holi, Christmas, Republic Day and informal picnics alongwith  visiting old age homes run by Tara Sansthan in Udaipur. They recently celebrated Independance Day with their members. The group meets four days every week - Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

"Pujya" operating at three location across Udaipur provides health education, Chair Yoga, light physiotherapy exercises, mental stimulation and many forms of entertainment for its members, which are growing by the day. As per the founder, "Pujya" welcome senior citizens above the age of 60, and asks its members to make a very insubstantiable monthly contribution of Rs. 100 per head, more to manage its working capital, rather than Fee. The institution boasts of 50 members within 9 months of being established. "Pujya" is open to welcoming more and more senior citizens to its fold in order to ensure that the services are availed by maximum persons in the given age bracket.

Important parameters/questions that will lead you or your parents to Pujya:

1. Is your parent feeling isolated ,lonely and sad and would enjoy meeting peer group and socializing?
2. Is your parent nervous to remain alone in the house?
3. Is your elder parent/grandparent living alone by her/him self?
4. Is your parent suffering from chronic disease or recovering from a serious illness?
5. Is your parent movement slowing down?
6. Is your parent interested in developing new hobbies?
7. Does your parent get supervised physical/mental exercise?
8. Is it challenging to fix an appropriate doctor’s appointment for your parent ?

"Pujya", now in upscale mode, looks forward to embracing other simple but challenging tasks like resistance exercises, mental exercises as well as aims to provide transportation  to its members, so that mobility of senior citizens to and from centres does not become an obstruction in their endeavor to provide their servies to maximum beneficiaries. The institution is open to any assistance in any form from those who are convinced with the idea of providing such services to senior citizens - so that the purpose can flourish in the longer term.

For more information, visit their website https://pujya.org/ or connect with them on +91 96493 57728; +91 96022 09192 or +91 70456 59190.