citizens run the risk of being exploited by their own children and grandchildren. A happy balance requires an understanding that the elder is an equal and is as much in need of care as are the grandchildren cared for by the elder. Those whose families have been separated by a generational divide can look upon nieces and nephews to form meaningful symbiotic relationships.
Nurturing spirituality
While pleasure of the five senses keeps the individual rooted in physical reality and is necessary for being present to the world around us, a sense of the subtle voice of conscience must also be cultivated. Spirituality need not be limited to religious observances, nor need it be anathema to the atheist. A spiritual person may express their connectedness to the world by being sensitive to the needs of the under-privileged. The sense of spirituality is nothing but an expression of an ancient urge to experience being one with the universe. The universe unfolds around us with each event of the day and beckons us to use our wisdom in the interest of humanity and the living world. Being young does not preclude being spiritual, and being an elder does not guarantee expression of the spirit.
Karan R Aggarwala, PhD
kaggarwala@gmail.com
The author is an optometrist, nutrition counselor and vision scientist who collaborates with academic institutions in India and the US
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Consumer VOICE was founded by teachers and students at the University of Delhi in the beginning of the academic year 1983-84. Till mid 1986, Consumer VOICE functioned as an unregistered voluntary consumer association.
On 28 June 1986, it was registered as a Public Charitable Trust with noted jurist, Justice (retd.) V.M. Tarkunde and Prof. P.K. Ghosh of the Delhi School of Economics as founder donors and Dr. Sri Ram Khanna and Mr Rajan Karanjawala as Trustees.
In 1988 the Dept of Company Affairs Govt. of India accorded recognition to Consumer VOICE under the MRTP Act. The trust has since been granted exemption under section 80-G of the Income Tax Act and, donations made to the Trust are exempt from Tax. However the organization does not accept donations from private enterprise in order to ensure objectivity, or from individuals except when the donor is genuinely committed to espouse the cause of consumer protection.
As one of its first consumer-rights initiative, VOICE filed a suit against the ‘Wills Made for Each Other’ tobacco campaign, as it was monopolistic and discriminated against consumers who did not smoke. VOICE also challenged television manufacturers which were selling colour television sets at a premium to consumers during the Asiad Games.
In 1997, VOICE started to publish Consumer VOICE, a bi-monthly magazine that focused on bringing consumers information on product performance. ‘Voltage Stabilisers’ were one of the first product tests to be published in Consumer VOICE magazine.
The publisher of Consumer VOICE magazine since 1999 it is currently working in close co-ordination with the Dept of Consumer Affairs, Govt of India, on a comparative product testing project. The project aims to test a wide range of products most commonly used by Indian consumers in NABL-accredited laboratories. The test results are then published in Consumer VOICE magazine.
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