CGPWA celebrates International Day of Older Persons
with Painting Contest & Health Talk on Dental Care
01/10/2026
Jammu, October 01(KIP)-The Central Govt Pensioners’ Welfare Association, Jammu (CGPWA) today celebrated the 36th International Day of Older Persons with an inter-school painting competition and a Health Talk on dental Care for the elderly.
Twenty-five students from 13 schools in Jammu participated in the painting competition on “Lifestyle of Grandparents”. Joys Mooman of Govt Hari Singh Higher Secondary School bagged the first prize, Roshni of Arya Public High School won the second prize and Kajal Ahirwar of Govt Higher Secondary School, Channi Himmat, took the third prize. Nationally known artist K K Gandhi and Rohit Verma, Faculty member of the Institute of Fine Art and Music, evaluated the paintings and selected the best three. The Principal, School for Hearing Handicapped, Roshan Bhan, assisted by Shri Jaswant and the Art Teacher, conducted the event.
Kuldeep Khoda, President of CGPWA, and Ashok Angurana, Chief Guest jointly distributed prizes among the winners along with Dr Ashok Bhan. Certificates of Appreciation were awarded to all the participants.
The purpose of this painting competition was to promote inter-generational bonding. In today's technology-driven culture, students hardly interact with their grandparents, remaining engrossed in mobile games and social media bereft of traditional nanna-nanni and dada-daddi stories. It was an attempt to revive the value system and restore respect and dignity for the elderly in families.
Dr Reecha Gupta, HoD and Dr Shivani Jandial of the Department of Prosthodontics, Indira Gandhi Govt Dental College, Jammu, delivered a Health Talk on “Geriatric Dental Needs: Towards Healthy Aging”. Dr Reecha said that oral health is an essential component of overall health and wellbeing. She added that aging is associated with increasing oral health needs. She noted that poor oral health affects the elderly. These include nutrition, speech &communication, social interaction & quality of life. Dr. Reecha stated that the focus of geriatric dentistry is on prevention of oral disease, early detection & treatment, restoration of oral functions, prosthetic rehabilitation, management of age-related changes and maintaining independence and quality of life.
Dr Reecha suggested some helpful habits for Older persons which include drinking plenty of water, chewing sugar-free gum, using a humidifier at night, eating moist and water-rich fruits, and using a saliva substitute.
Dr Jandial said that dental caries is a highly prevalent yet preventable disease characterized by the demineralization of the tooth's hard structures. If left untreated, the decay can progress deep into the tooth, causing pain, infection, and potential tooth loss. Other Oral health conditions include periodontal diseases, oral ulcers and attrition of teeth. Hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and Vitamin D deficiency are the major systemic risk factors in older adults linked to periodontal disease.
The illuminating awareness lecture was followed by a lively question-answer session.
In his presidential address, Kuldeep Khoda stressed the need for the elderly to maintain a healthy and happy life, stating that remaining healthy is a great challenge that would address most of their problems. He complimented Dr Reecha Gupta and Dr Shivani Jandial for their enlightening and informative lectures and advised senior citizens to follow their advice to prevent dental problems for healthy aging. He advised them against living in isolation which itself is a disease. He accepted Ashok Angurana's suggestions to hold a seminar or lecture on hardships faced by some sections of the population, and said the CGPWA would endeavor to play its role.
Advising against isolation which itself is a disease, Khoda highlighted the role of active aging and community engagement in ensuring a healthy, dignified life for the elderly. He mentioned societal efforts to address the issues of older persons without waiting for institutional actions by government agencies. The Govt is also doing a lot for the social and economic wellbeing of senior citizens and laws have been enacted to protect their interests. He mentioned some laws that give ageing parents remedies. He referred to the Supreme Court judgment stating that property transfers—such as gift deeds or transfers made on the condition of basic care—can be declared void or cancelled if children neglect or ill-treat their aged parents.
The Chief Guest, Ashok Angurana shared his experiences from his tenure in the Social Empowerment and Tribal Ministries and suggested that CGPWA hold seminars or lectures on the conditions of ignored and voiceless sections of the population and raise a voice for them. He recalled that during Mahatma Buddha’s time, society’s characteristics were determined by the treatment meted out to women, voiceless animals, and the elderly. In his impressive discourse on the situation of certain sections of society and his personal experiences gained from interacting with some of these neglected populations, he said that no political party has ever made the security of women and the elderly an agenda item. He referred to the immense hardship the elderly population faces in handling daily small issues of life and asked why some sort of Suvidha Kendra couldn't be established to help them.
Angurana also referred to the Harvard University’s study “Relay Race,” stating that research on happiness has been running for generations and has declared the Hunza Valley as the happiest area. Their happiness has not stemmed from wealth or fame, but from respect and affection for each other, and positive, strong relationships that helped the elderly live longer and healthier lives. He also brought up legacy issues like social security and establishing affordable old age homes. Such studies need to be examined for assimilation. On the other hand, he said, the world is facing a biggest challenge of isolation and dementia. According to him, nearly 21% of the world's population is suffering from this disease.
Dr Ashok Bhan, Guest of Honour, complimented CGPWA for its thoughtful initiative of an inter-school painting competition on “Lifestyle of Grandparents” and said that there is need for intergenerational linkage to carry forward our social legacy. He pointed out that the majority of the painted grandparents were in a rural setting. He suggested carrying forward today’s initiative by holding a competition for 2-minute reels on topics like ‘achievements of grandparents,’ ‘how close you are to your grandparents,’ and ‘what will you miss when your grandparents are no more’. The much-needed interaction between the younger and older generations will reduce their loneliness.
Earlier the General Secretary of CGPWA, K B Jandial, explained in his welcome address the basic difference between World Senior Citizen Day celebrated of 21st August and International Day of Older Persons, and the purpose of holding the inter-school Painting Competition on Lifestyle of Grandparents. The Vice President of CGPWA, Dr Sudarshan Kumar presented the formal Vote of Thanks.
Nisar Ahmad conducted the proceedings impressively, interspersed with Urdu couplets.