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by PADMA EDIRISINGHE

On the request of the writer, the Department of Census and Statistics was courteous enough to lend her a provisional report of the 2001 Census captioned population by Sex, Age, Religion and Ethnicity according to district and DS divisions. The interesting factors one can glean from this report are many as the trends of the statistics related to Sri Lanka's religious composition as compared to the census figures taken in 1981 (the last census).

An outstanding factor noted under sex composition is that in the 18 districts in which the census was taken completely (i.e. Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Kandy, Matale, Nuwara Eliya, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Ampara, Kurunegala, Puttalam, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Badulla, Moneragala, Ratnaprua and Kegalle) that the total number of females outnumber the males by 176,616 with Gampaha and Mahanuwara topping the list in this respect.

Under ethnic composition the finding crops up of a decline int he percentage growth of all ethnic groups except for Sri Lanka Moor. This is most noted in Puttalam district where the Sinhala population has dropped by 8.8 percentage contagia while the Moor population has increased by the identical percentage.

Under religious composition what clearly surfaces is that the percentage of population for all religious groups has fallen except for Islam and Christianity. In fact followers of Islam have increased by 1.6 percentage.

At the preliminary stage of the 2001 census report, age distribution figures are only available as a dichotomy i.e. population above 18 and less. There is a drop in the under 18 years ago group from the 1981 census figures, from 41.6% to 32.9%. This indicates a narrowing of the population age pyramid at the lower ages that clearly implies a decline in fertility.

However other population figures available in this department transpires many interesting facts.

One such is the peculiarities of age composition and one most relevant to the topic in hand Starkly apparent is the rapid increase in the over 60 group.

In fact the biggest discrepancy in the variance of increase of age groups is that exhibited in the age group of 0-4 years and over 75 years. In 1991, the number in the 0-4 age group had been 1664 (thousands) that shows a projected and declined number of 1295 (thousands in 2031 while the 75 plus age group that had numbered only 298 (thousands) in 1991 goes up to a projected 1488 (thousands) in 2031. The decrease in overall fertility is obvious as well as the preponderance of the older age group.

In 2001, the over 60 age group numbered 1908 (thousands) with a break - up as follows:

60-64 years - 602,000

65-69 years - 482,000

70-74 years - 371,000

75 plus - 453,000.

Contrary to the popular belief that Sri Lankan women live longer than men there is almost an equilibrium status as regards the sex ratio in this category of over 60s, 955 thousand males as against 953 thousand females.

The segment of the over 60 population that so obviously keeps on increasing in numbers is in one way (to put it rather cruelly) a burden to society for their productivity decreases in ratio while the State is compelled to go on paying their pensions, W&OP allowances etc. and also carry on welfare and health measures on humanitarian grounds.

But this state of things which is almost unavoidable for longevity of life has now become a blessing for many. In Asian countries with its extended family system still not defunct (in many cases) an elder is especially regarded as a blessing especially in the area of looking after and rearing children when both parents are away at work. Whether it has an equally salutary effect both ways is another issue.

However it must be admitted that compared to countries in the West much remains to be done in our island to make the lives of the over 60 group more pleasant.

This is a rather surprising situation for our country dubbed the land where Thereavada Buddhism flourishes in optimum glory. That is a religion that has one of its cardinal tenets, regard for the elderly.

It must be admitted that well-known institutions as Sarvodaya and Helpage and lesser known ones as the Kandy Friend in-need society have initiated many measures to allay the helpless conditions of this group. In fact several innovative measures are now being experimented such as organising trips at a subsidised rate for this group (even for those using crutches and wheel-chairs) cognizant of the starkly cruel fact that families rarely like to get the elders to join in family trips for very obvious reasons.

A travel agency has even started a campaign to get luxury hotels to construct passages to drive up wheel-chairs.

Advertisements of housing complexes that cater to this group are now a regular feature. Some of them are replete with medicinal centres and entertainment facilities, of a super order not to mention the sauna baths and massage clinics offered. This raises another issue.

The number belonging to this group who can afford to pay about 7,000 to 8,000 Rs. for a 4-day trip or pay about three and half million rupees for a luxury apartment house (that would provide a roof to them till the final exit) replete with all facilities is very minimal. About 95% fall outside this group. The State as well as the organisations therefore must take into cognizance this group especially.

Perhaps the glitzy entrepreneurs who build the luxury apartments that charge a rent of 50,000 a month can perform a very meritorious and benevolent task by setting aside a fraction of their large earnings to run salutary programs for the less privileged of this group.

The basic needs as food, clothing, lodging and health problems of course prepodenderate. Pathetic is the over 60 group, very sound in physical and mental health, but marginalised by society purely due to age when it comes to the entertainment arena.

Families, except in rare cases, do not like to take them out since they can be a nuisance and a deterrent to the envisaged enjoyment. So many of them languish in their homes praying that the Angel of Death may salvage them from the cruelty of society very soon.

At state level, many tips can be taken from countries that have gone ahead in this field as providing subsidised transport fees (in the context of the dwindling or zero incomes of this group), mobile library services, door to door reading programs, dialogue facilities where kind-hearted humans could spare an hour or two talking to the neglected and lonely, provision of free spectacles, hearing aids, crutches, wheel cairs etc.

The writer has also been informed by a rather reliable source that a Parliament Act has been passed to ensure parental rights that can take into book children who neglect their parents. While apologizing for the writer's lack of detailed knowledge of this information, if such an act has been passed an awareness program to the public via the media is a grave necessity.

Acts that lie enslaved in heavy Statute books are simply of no use if they are not adequately communicated to the public. There may be some who on purely ethical grounds are opposed to such acts in the belief that it will only disrupt the "sacred bonds" between parents and children by bringing in legal issues.

But the validity of the sacredness of these bonds in the context whether both parties abode by the pact seems to be rapidly disappearing against the extremely selfish monster of modern civilisation that has on it altar, one's own personal comforts, consumerism and the constant heaping of the dough, in the melee of which the parent who bore and bred the offspring is relegated into loneliness and utter neglect.

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