Indoor games & activities for Swapno Bhor senior citizens

Kolkata: Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation ( HIDCO) has taken a slew of measures to keep senior citizens, who are members of Swapno Bhor in New Town, engaged throughout the year.

The indoor games competition for the members were inaugurated by Debashis Sen, chairman, Hidco. There are 700 members of Swapno Bhor, the state's first senior citizen's park.

Sixty members are participating in the indoor games that include table tennis, carom (both singles and doubles), chess and cards. The women members can take part in Rabindra Sangeet competition. The duration of the competitions in different games will be for one month. Prizes will be given to the champions and runners up at a function, which will be held in collaboration with the Women and Child Development and Social Welfare on October 1 which is celebrated as World Senior Citizens' Day.

There is an auditorium at Swapno Bhor where cultural shows and lectures on different topics are held throughout the year. There is a library and coffee corner. The members do morning and evening walk on the sprawling lawn.

Snehodiya, a state run facility for the senior citizens have come up in New Town.

Keeping senior citizens engaged is being done in all countries as the life expectancy has gone up. The members of Swapno Bhor oversee gardening and growing of vegetables , a project taken up by an NGO. The members are taken on conducted tours every year.