When it comes to love and companionship, age is no bar, believe the 350 senior citizens who gathered at a community hall in Paldi for a Live-In Sammelan. The event organised by the matchmaking service Vina Mulya Amulya Seva (VMAS) was aimed at encouraging single senior citizens to find a companion who will help ease the loneliness that many of them feel. Around 200 men and 50 women in the age group of 50 to 85 from across India attended the event.
According to the founder of VMAS, Natubhai Patel, elderly couples face compatibility issues and even their families find it difficult to make adjustments.
So, a live-in relationship will allow them to check whether marriage works for them. “If an elderly couple first live together for a few months, they will be able to understand their interests, and likes and dislikes better, besides getting to know the family set-up. That makes it easy for them to figure out whether they should marry or not,” said Natubhai Patel.
“It is a natural reaction from a woman as several men take advantage of the live-in arrangement. This could be one of the reasons that there are less women participants than men. So, we have decided to monitor the couples who will get into a live-in relationship. Sometimes, because of social stigma and family pressure, very few women register for the event. To encourage participation from more women, we also reimburse travel fare,” adds Patel.
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