Whenever 92-year-old Kasturi Rangan Raghavan would take a ride past the beach, he would yearn to step closer to the shoreline and relax looking at the skyline. That became a reality, when he was taken on a wheelchair a few days back on the ramp created at the Marina beach.
“One can never get tired of looking at the sea. And, quite naturally, I was reminiscing the times when I came here as a student and played in the water with my friends,” he says. After the Greater Chennai Corporation put up a temporary ramp on the beach for persons with disabilities, it also turned out to be a blessing for the senior citizens who are wheelchair bound, to also access the beach.
K. S. Srinivasa Upadhayaya, a 76-year-old resident of the city said he was thrilled to be taken to the beach in a wheelchair. “At this age, I cannot walk in the sand, so I was quite surprised and delighted to go closer to the waves in the wheelchair.”
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G Srinivasan, CEO, Athulya, assisted living facility for senior citizens said the facility was a boon not just for persons with disability but also for senior citizens. “Many of them have often expressed their desire to step out somewhere. And many prefer the beach, when it is not crowded, because it is relaxing and refreshing to get some fresh air. We took about 10 senior citizens to the beach recently and they thoroughly enjoyed it,” he said.