India, May 9 -- At the homes of elderly couples who live alone, their children settled in far-off parts of the world, you will encounter the "smell" of old age.

Their houses are museums, showcasing items curated over the years - some received as wedding gifts four-five decades ago. The dressing table is older than their eldest kid. The sofa, with that hexagonal cane webbing, has surrendered to the shape of their bodies. The cushions smell grand-fatherly. No matter what time of the day, it's always afternoon in the house - quiet. It's the time when the sunlight enters softly and grazes bedcovers before dying out. The panchang (Hindu lunar calendar) on the wall still shows last month; there is no urgency to turn it over. There are half-emp...