Progressive Dawoodi Bohra Jama’at in association with Bohra Youth organization has been running a senior citizen club where retired and aged members of the community gather to share their time during their leisure hours. The club is furnished and provides news papers, periodicals, magazines and literary materials available in their well-stocked library, Darul Mutaliatul Burhania near Hathipole police station, in addition to a well-connected TV set. This arrangement has been operational for about a decade. This facility, needless to say, provides an opportunity for the elders to pass time in company and ventilate their grievances. Grievances! What? What else than grumbling against the post-modern technology generation!

The readers are well aware that the entire Indian media very often carry news about deviation of the new generation from the traditional etiquettes, thrift beyond the financial capacity of parents, level of education, loss of values, increasing crimes due unemployment, inter cast marriages followed by equally quick fix methodologies for separation, etc – an un ending list.  As is evident, all these are in the absence of views held by those who stand accused in this scenario.

Based on these feedbacks the patrons of this club decided to hold a workshop where opinions of each, elders as well as the current generation be analysed and a working model be worked out in order to bridge the communication gap which seems to be the main cause for this rift.

Accordingly, a very interesting workshop was held at a farmhouse in Badi village of Udaipur on 14^th August.  The event was conducted across three group discussions.  One group each to analyze and prepare a brief of the opinion or grievances of new generation and other for the elderly. A third group filtered this list and prepared a final list for a panel of three judges to chalk out the final plan of action.

Finally, a strategy was proposed, which envisages dividing the new generation in age groups and giving them a questionnaire based on their power of understanding and preparing a list of items that are common.  A similar procedure for the elders as well.  Thereafter to hold a seminar to discuss the issues involved so that all parties to the discussion are at understanding with each other.  At the last stage a finalized program of action for the community.

Right from the concept level to the termination of workshop the program was conducted jointly by Yusuf R.G, ex-Secretary of the Jamaat and Dr. Fatema Amar. The program was witnessed by office bearers of Jamaat, Bohra Youth organization and other senior members of the community who contributed with their own views and experience.