For Radhika Parikh, 65, celebrating Diwali once meant cladding a silk sari and serving delicacies to greet guests. Today, Diwali for her means go bag packing to explore untouched spots in Northern India and take a plunge into nature to renew her zeal for life.
Parikh, who went camping last Diwali, is going to spend this Diwali festival days in Uttrakhand with Tuffer Camping Group, and surprisingly this time she is not alone. Her few friends are to join her and they are to go camping together. The nascent trend of senior citizens getting away from hustle bustle of urban life and spend festival days in solitude in nature’s bosom is now growing in city.
From Mount Everest base camps to ladakh, lasa near Tibet, Pindara in Uttarankhand and some less-explored camping spots around Manali – these spots are ideal for camping and the nascent trend of senior citizens taking adventure camping trips to these places is growing fast, said Saumil Desai from Escape.
S Dinesh, founder of Tuffer Camping Group, said, “We have been planning special adventurous trips for senior citizens and take them to serene spots in Uttrahand, and Himachal Pradesh past last two years. This time during the Diwali festival many like Parikh have joined us to go camping during the festival days.”
Desire to re-live the golden memories of youthful days and preference to stay away from festivities and socials perhaps prompt these senior citizens to go camping and celebrate the festival days in their own ways. Siddharth Shah, 63, real estate consultant and his spouse Ami, 60, who too are joining another group going to Manali, said, “During twilight years of life, we desire to spend Diwali quietly away from noises of firecrackers and humdrum of urban life. Spending the festival days in a tent would rekindle beautiful memories of school days. Both of us are still fond of camping.”
Similarly, Pravin Patel, 60, a retired government employee and his spouse Hasumati Patel, 58, are to join a camping group of senior citizens going to Manali. “While our children are going abroad for Diwali vacation, both of us have this time planned to take time out for ourselves,” said Patel. “We have decided to join this group as it would be safe to be in company with same-age people and yet we would be able to privately celebrate Diwali in solitude.”
