Guwahati, Oct. 4 -- I had two great-grandmothers, both of whom lived several years well past their 100th birthdays. I don't recall having much contact with them, as they lived in two different places and I in another. However, as a child, I recall meeting one of them more than the other. She eventually lost her eyesight but still remained very active. She was strong in body, heart, mind, soul and spirit, and decided how and where she wanted to live. She didn't allow anyone to take away her personhood and agency despite her age and loss of vision. She was no one's fool and lived on her own terms. She passed away when I was fifteen.

This year, on October 1, when the world observed the International Day of Older Persons on the theme "The Ag...