‘Living longer may not necessarily be a boon’

Actor-psychiatrist on technology, right to a dignified death

Actor and psychiatrist Mohan Agashe.

Technology has helped us postpone imminent death, but at what cost, asks Mohan Agashe. The noted actor and psychiatrist, who was in Kochi recently, spoke to The Hindu on various issues close to his heart.

Even though he is active, acknowledged and recognised in both his chosen professions, it was perhaps the protagonist in the award-winning Marathi film Astu – So be it , which deals with Alzheimer’s disease, that brought together the actor and medical professional in him. Then Kaasav happened last year, which dealt with depression.

“Death and old age are perhaps the stigma created by the modern medical world,” says Dr. Agashe.

Court verdict

“We are all going to live longer in the new age, and it may necessarily not be a boon,” he adds. The Supreme Court’s recent verdict on dignified death probably has de-stigmatised death, he says. Every person has the right to have a say in having a dignified life and the right to a dignified death, says Dr. Agashe.

If technology cannot assure quality of life, people should have the choice to decide on a dignified death. Affordability of medical care is definitely a major issue, he adds. It does not make much sense when this decision is taken by a lawyer or a medical practitioner or the insurance companies, says Dr. Agashe. “Quality of life is living well and not just longer.”

“Becoming old was not a stigma in the olden days. In fact, people used to look forward to it as it used to earn them more respect. Nowadays, we refrain from thinking of old age,” he says.

Care for elderly

The traditional joint family system was a haven for the elderly, but with such a system breaking down, more “volunteers” are required to take care of them, says Dr. Agashe, quoting from his film Astu – a comment made by a caretaker at a home for the elderly. The self-help groups are the new families, he adds. “It is a collective social responsibility and not the responsibility of the government alone,” he adds.

So, which profession makes him tick? “It is like asking which of my legs I like more,” Dr. Agashe says. “I had taken up a post in a medical college in Pune, so that I could do theatre in the evening.” Every one has a passion, which perhaps does not get nurtured because of the prevailing education system, says the Padmashri and Sangeeta Nataka Academy award winner. Dr. Agashe founded the Maharashtra Institute of Mental Health in 1991.