As we grow up, remembering names and facts can be difficult. , Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockPhoto
Every time I get an invitation letter from my college for an alumni meet, I treat it with both joy and dread. It will be pleasant to catch up with my old classmates and find out who is aging gracefully and who is “down-aging”. But that’s only one side of the story – the fun part. On the other hand, I am tempted to identify people correctly, not only because they have changed beyond recognition over the years but also because my memory is letting me down.
I was struggling to remember the name of a familiar face last time I was near the door of the auditorium where an event was about to take place. However, I had an important clue. Its name reminded me of the jasmine flower. But in what language was the catch here? Tamil, English or Hindi? God! Why do we have so many languages? I freaked out when our eyes met. As she entered my row in search of an empty seat, I surprised myself by stumbling upon the name. “Hi Mallika!” I greeted him. Going past she muttered, “Not bad! You remembered me.” Well, I didn’t want to find out if he remembered my name and bother him and me with the bargain.
In recent times, it has been found that many people have tasted success in life only after the age of sixty years. They cite stories of high achievers like Nobel laureates and tycoons who have earned name and fame after retirement due to better focus and committed approach, as they are relatively free from day-to-day issues unlike younger people. Huh. This may be true in some families who have inherited elephant-like alertness, but not in all. Take mine, for example. Our clan is famous for seeking attention like a goldfish. It takes me back to that time, many years ago, when a film personality passed away and the entire state was in mourning. While we siblings were thinking about this loss, our grandfather from around the corner stunned us all with his remark, “Oh! But I thought this man was already dead!” And that was from someone who would never miss reading the obituary column in the newspaper first thing in the morning!
For a long time, we thought this was Grandfather’s figurative way of indicating the mental state of the star, who was finally disillusioned and as good as dead before his actual demise. It is only now that we are advancing in age, do we realize that this was a clear case of false memory syndrome as Grandfather imagined an event that never actually happened. It can happen to any of us, even prematurely, with too many distractions and information overload. Our memory seems real to us but how can we be sure whether it is true or not? While we bask in memories of the past, perhaps it’s a good idea to check for signs of rising alarm on the faces of the listeners, as they are torn between sympathy for our position and the need to be factually correct. This is the only way to stop the flight of our imagination.
Smartphones have proved to be a real face-saver in today’s world. A quick fact-check in Google can get us on the right track and save us from making embarrassing statements about facts and figures. It will also give us the glow of a “smart senior” that is age-only-a-numbers wind, provided we remember Watch it now and then and stay updated.
saraswati100@yahoo.com