How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were? In a world where age is a yardstick to determine identities, The Times had the opportunity to meet with possibly the youngest ‘senior citizen’ around.
Meet Mrs. Gooloo Mehta, she turns 80 this year but to her this is just a meaningless number, “I don’t feel like I’m part of the so-called older generation at all. Actually it is people who make me aware of the fact that I am turning 80, I still am what I was decades ago,” she said with a smile.
Mrs. Mehta’s is based in ‘Bombay’ but visits Kuwait frequently as her daughter’s family resides here. Sitting in the comfort of a home warmed by her tight-knit family, who sat across her while she spoke, Mrs. Mehta let nostalgia take over. “I had a very happy childhood and after I graduated from St. Xavier’s College in Bombay, I took up Indian classical music, that’s how I met my wonderful husband.”
Being married 55 years is no ordinary feat these days, she said even as Mr. Ratan Mehta promptly produced a sepia toned photograph of a captivating young woman reminiscent of back-in-the day Indian starlets. “I took this picture so many years ago,” he said, gesturing towards the image on his iPhone, “She has not changed one bit.” Ah, romance.
Over a cup of good, strong chai, Mrs. Mehta explains that aging has not made a great difference in her thinking except that her perspective has grown and now encompasses a wider range.
“I am more attached to people now, I like going out and meeting new folks and I enjoy entertaining and hosting friends.”
As part of her philosophy, life is either too short or too long and one needs to live life each day as it comes, remembering that each moment is precious. Though her life is full of wonderful memories, but as with everyone, life brings its ups and downs and her big turning point came with the loss of a young son years ago. “Everything changed. My whole attitude towards life changed. I realized life is not worth just wasting away, crying and moping around. It is so much more than that,” she said, “I decided to take a chance at whatever I get and hang on to living a whole life as much as I can.”
After taking up Reiki, she found a place where she could be at peace with herself and everyone around her, “I don’t let things play on my mind. When you think positive nothing bad can happen to you,”
Quoting from the popular book ‘The Secret’, Mrs. Mehta explained that if you truly believe something and focus all your positive energy into that belief, the universe will conspire to give you what you desire.
Mrs. Mehta has, among other things, run a nursery catering to over 200 children as well as a successful parlor spanning over 20 years. “You should love what you do and while you are at it, you got to give it your best, to make it worthwhile.”
As Mrs. Mehta stepped outdoors for a few photographs before sundown, her daughter Shahnaz shared some sentiments, “My mother’s positivity has surely rubbed off on me, we share a very close relationship with open communication and I try to raise my son Shahzad in the same way,” she said. “Incidentally, he gets along better with my mother than with me!”
With a charismatic personality coupled with a youthful free spirit, it would only naturally follow that Mrs. Mehta frequently dabbled in the arts. She is an avid writer of poetry, short stories, letters and feature articles which she contributes to newspapers and online forums — all with a dedicated fan following.
“I most enjoy writing poetry but I am extremely interested in political writing,” she said. “I write everything from poems on love and passion, to God and philosophy. My inspiration usually comes from people around me” she elaborated, inviting me to visit with her to read some poetry together some time, ‘without a recorder, just as a friend’.
Putting on a pair of reading glasses, she graciously began to share one of her most recent.
Where did it go?
It has been my greatest sorrow
My today wasted for tomorrow
Grab the moment, when it comes
Opportunity knocks but once.
Guard that precious moment
So soon it came, so quickly went.
Today was here, I let it go
Waiting, waiting for tomorrow.
So today came and went away
There is little now for me to say
Alas! I was not there when today came
Now I have only myself to blame
– By Darlynn Amara
News Editor
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