Many senior citizens like me, who are in their 80s, often tend to forget people whom we had known very well before, but are puzzled and embarrassed when they meet and ask you how are you, or events like: “Uncle, do you remember me, when I came to your house? Or, “Hello my friend, how long has it been since we met; how are you”? This kind of a temporary blackout is common. In this connection, my young colleague, Dr Durgadas Kasbekar, pointed out some relevant and humorous quotes relating to this. One of them is by Sir Norman Wisdom, who wrote: “As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can’t remember the other two”. Another is from the American writer Mark Twain who wrote: “The older I get, the more clearly I remember things that never happened”!
Cases in contrast
In stark contrast to this are some very old persons, who distinctly remember every person they interacted with and events in their lives. An excellent example was Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, the scientist who recently passed away at the age of 98. Through his efforts he transformed India from a food-importing country into a food-exporting one within 50 years. And he had a remarkable memory of people and events. This was indeed a rejoinder to Norman Wisdom and Mark Twain! Another such example is the outstanding cricket player C.D. Gopinath, who made his debut in 1951-52 and is now 93.
