By Maruf Hossain Milon and Protima Chatterjee from Shyamnagar, Satkhira
A unique intergenerational storytelling session was held in Shyamnagar, Satkhira, on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons, under the theme “You once built the world, today I will build dreams and care for you with love.”
The event took place on 1st October organized jointly by the Gopalpur Rural Women and Youth Organization, Green Coalition and the Sundarban Student Solidarity Team, with the support of BARCIK.
85 years old elder Prabash Chandra Mondal presided over the session, while BARCIK Program Officer Maruf Hossain (Milon) conducted the program. A total of 12 elderly persons, 15 youths, and 10 women participated in the event. Besides, Delowara Begum, President of the Gopalpur Rural Women and Youth Organization and member of Green Coalition, along with BARCIK Associate Program Officer Protima Chatterjee participated in the sessions and shared the concerns.
During the session, the senior citizens narrated stories from their earlier days. The stories include: how the natural environment once flourished, the richness of local biodiversity, the condition of roads and rivers, experiences during natural disasters, food quality, medical practices, marriage customs, social traditions, and community festivals. The youth and housewives, in turn, shared stories about how the younger generation once respected their elders and how intergenerational relationships have changed over time.
Many of the senior citizens grew emotional as they described how life has transformed and the challenges they now face in their daily routines. The young participants listened with deep attention, some smiling at the humor in the stories, others moved to tears by the hardships shared. The event created a bridge of empathy, reflection, and shared learning between generations.
Elder Arbindra Mondal said, “The environment today is nothing like it used to be. Though we are now self-sufficient in food, that food no longer gives us joy. We eat only to survive. In our time, we had to work and play to digest a meal. There were even friendly eating competitions! Now, food lacks taste, and almost every household has someone suffering from illness. This is not the healthy life we once knew.”
Another elder, Abdul Khalek, said, “Today’s youth are becoming involved in antisocial activities. In our time, there were many healthy forms of entertainment such as folk songs, jari, ghazal, kabigan, football, ha-du-du, and stick games. Now, youths are absorbed in mobile phones, TVs, and computers, disconnected from their surroundings.” He went on saying, we, the elderly, feel excluded and we cannot participate in family life as before. We raised our children with great effort, yet many of them fail to value their parents. We must remember that our children will learn from what they see and they will do as we do.”
The young students said, “We must respect our elders. They are our guides. Today, we heard so many things we never knew before. Their stories felt like fairy tales. Our elders are our friends. From now on, we will do our best to take care of our parents and grandparents with love and responsibility.”
Housewives also shared their reflections, saying, “We learned many lessons from today’s session. Just as we try to care for our children, we will also make a greater effort to look after our elderly in-laws and community elders.”
Both the elderly and the youth expressed their wish for similar storytelling gatherings to be organized regularly, as these moments of shared memory and dialogue help to strengthen the bonds between generations and inspire mutual care and understanding.
