Matoshree old age home: Here, seniors bat the breeze with one another despite the heat

People take a walk and chat comfortably in the afternoons. Pavan Khengre

IT’S ALMOST noon. A septuagenarian is sitting on a bench under a dense tree on the campus of Matoshree. Asked if she was troubled with the increasing temperature, she responds, “There is a lot of greenery around us and even the campus is not congested, allowing fee flow of wind and respite from the scorching sun. I have been sitting here for almost an hour and still not troubled by the heat. Because of the green cover, we can sit outside even in the afternoons and still not be affected much by the scorching sun. Evenings are always windy and pleasant as there are no high rise buildings around.”

While the city is struggling with rising mercury levels, the senior citizens residing at old age homes in the city, aren’t complaining. At Matoshree in Karvenagar, which is spread across 5 acres of land, one can find many spots where people are sitting in groups and chatting comfortably even in the afternoons, unperturbed by the sun. A variety of dense trees like banyan, neem, gulmohar and others dot the campus, providing ample shade.

Prakash Deshpande, spokesperson of Matoshree, said that the need to install air-conditioners or coolers hasn’t risen so far due to large number of trees on the premises.

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Every room has a fan, which he says, is sufficient. As far as water situation at the old age home is concerned, he said, “We have a borewell on the premises which we draw water from, also we have put around notices to save water everywhere and make sure that there is optimum usage of water.”

A 65-year-old woman, one of the residents of Matoshree, said, “We have running water only for three hours in the morning and we keep buckets filled for the rest of the day. Drinking water comes on alternate days so we fill bottles for our use. Till now, we are managing very well.”