- Title: INDIA: Centenarians say age is not a problem
- Date: 26th May 2007
- Summary: (L!2) JAIPUR (MAY 20, 2007) (ANI) TWO MEN CARRYING AN OLD MAN, RAHIM KHAN, IN THEIR ARMS A BOARD READING KHAN'S NAME AND STATING HIS 138TH BIRTHDAY WELL WISHERS PUTTING GARLAND ON KHAN MORE OF KHAN WITH GARLANDS AROUND HIS NECK CAKE KHAN CUTTING HIS CAKE AIDED BY MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY KHAN'S SMILING FACE A BUNCH OF BALLOONS ON THE CEILING PEOPLE FEEDING KHAN THE CAKE KHAN EATING THE CAKE KHAN'S BIRTH CERTIFICATE (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) RAHIM KHAN, 138-YEAR-OLD CENTENARIAN, SAYING: "All is going well 'til now. After this only God knows what is in store for me."
- Embargoed: 11th June 2007 17:27
- Keywords:
- Location: India
- Country: India
- Topics: Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVA6YYAFVCWEHREI8X73LPJ5DHZE
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: A man in India's northwestern Jaipur city, claiming to be 138 years old, celebrates his birthday with hundreds of villagers; while an old woman
continues to do her household chores in southern India even as she ushers in her 110th birthday. Age seemed to be relative for two centenarians in India as they ushered in yet another birthday on Sunday (May 20).
In northwestern Jaipur city, Rahim Khan celebrated his 138th birth anniversary with a bang as family and friends organised a party in the colony where he lives.
Khan, or Habib Mian as he is fondly called, looked as excited as any child while cutting a specially prepared cake.
Friends and relatives looked just as ecstatic as Khan as they have been in correspondence with the Guinness Book of World Records to include his name in the oldest living human being category.
A former bandmaster, Khan has been receiving a pension for the last 66 years, a record in itself.
In better health than one would expect someone of his age to be, Khan says it is God's grace that has brought him this far.
"All is going well 'til now. After this only God knows what is in store for me," said Rahim Khan.
With a family that has over seventy members, Khan is still alert enough to discern one from the other.
Khan's grandson now has grandchildren, meaning this centenarian has already seen his sixth generation of descendants.
In southern Coimbatore, an old woman turned 110 as hundreds of her own family toasted her future health and happiness.
Thaiamma, as she is lovingly called by her family, cut a huge cake as several of her great-great-grandchildren sang 'Happy Birthday' in perfect chorus.
Even at this age, Thaiamma lives alone in her ancestral home and continues to do all her household chores like washing, cooking, cleaning and even grinding spices.
"'Til now I am continuing to do all my work like cleaning the house, washing clothes, cooking food, grinding spices etc. I don't rely on anyone to do something for me," said Thaiamma.
Her son Jayabal said his mother had never needed to go to hospital and usually relied on traditional and natural therapies to treat common ailments.
"I am her (Thaiamma's) tenth son and I was born when she was about 60 years old. Till now her health is good and she has never been to a hospital," he said.
With no problems in digestion, Thaiamma eats whatever she pleases. Her diet still consists of fish, meat and vegetables cooked in pungent spices. - Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
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