Bhaktapur, March 31:

Urbanisation of the agrarian Nagadesh area and change in the attitude of youth have brought miseries to the senior citizens.

Confined to a dingy cellar of a three-storey building at Bahanani, Nagadesh, Shir Kumari Bode, 83, spins charkha and weaves cotton into batti (wicks) all day long for her livelihood.

She sells a bundle of wicks for Rs 10. She has been doing it for 18 years, ever since the family abandoned her as she grew old and her husband died.

Her crammed room has no window. “Her son frequently cuts power supply,” says a neighbour.

Gyan Bahadur Bade, her only son, earns enough to splurge to wine and dine. “Baucha (son) gets angry if he finds maicha (daughter) talking to me,” says she.

“No different is the plight of above 80 per cent of senior people in Nagadesh,” says Krishna Bahadur Dhaju, an ex-VDC chairman. According to him, a gradual shift towards urbanisation has brought about changes in thinking of the youth. “They have become independent and developed an individualistic attitude,” he adds.

Hira Narasingh Khichaju, 68, says, “They (sons) don’t have time to spend with me as they work hard,” he adds. He stays with the youngest son.

Upakar Saving and Credit Co-operative has started a saving scheme to help the senior citizens. It offers one per cent extra interest to the normal rate. “The interest is delivered at the doorsteps every three months,” says Dhaju, chief of the firm.