They gave years of their lives to government service. On Friday, Pasighat gave something back.
A Celebration Long Overdue
The East Siang district unit of the Arunachal Pradesh Service Pensioners Association (APSPA) organised a heartfelt felicitation programme on the occasion of World Senior Citizens’ Day, honouring senior members and recently retired officials from various government departments — civil administration, Health, Forest, and Education. Held at a resort in Pasighat, the event wasn’t a formal sit-and-clap affair. It felt personal. Retired officers walked in, were draped in traditional attire, handed mementos, and for once, sat at the front of the room instead of the back.
The programme began with a floral tribute to a portrait of former US President Ronald Reagan — the man who first declared August 21 as National Senior Citizens’ Day back in 1988, a gesture that eventually grew into a global observance. It’s a detail many people don’t know, and it gave the morning a grounding sense of history.
“Still Serving — Just Not in Office”
APSPA president and retired elementary education director Bodong Yirang didn’t mince words. He told the gathering that pensioners are “still serving the society out of the government offices and showing the right path to younger generations.” He’s right. You see it everywhere — retired teachers who still tutor neighbourhood kids, retired health officers who counsel people at community gatherings. The service doesn’t stop with the service book.
Yirang also highlighted APSPA’s ongoing work with three adopted primary schools in the district, where the association has funded infrastructure development and improved teaching-learning facilities. General secretary Dr. Onik Moyong echoed that, reminding the audience that the association actively takes up its members’ concerns with authorities — something that matters deeply when pension-related issues still linger for many retired employees.
Schools, Sheds, and Solidarity
The association’s review of its last year’s activities painted a picture of quiet, consistent work. Renovation of school buildings in Langko, Sika-Tode, and Tekang. Rebuilding an abandoned teacher’s barrack. Extending classrooms. Constructing a midday meal shed. Supplying almirahs and learning materials. None of it flashy. All of it necessary. The members unanimously resolved to keep going, especially with newly enrolled members coming on board.
The evening’s most memorable moment? A performance by veteran Adi artist Boken Panggeng, whose music, by all accounts, stopped the room cold in the best possible way.
A Space Where Elders Belong
Separately, the NGO Ayi: Ke Ekum — founded in May 2023 for senior citizens above 70 — hosted its own celebration at the IGJ Government Higher Secondary School auditorium. Pasighat East MLA Tapi Darang, who attended, put his finger on something important: loneliness is one of the greatest challenges elderly people face. It often goes unspoken. Ayi: Ke Ekum is trying to change that — one gathering, one shared song, one cup of tea at a time. ICDS Deputy Director MT Padung put it beautifully: “When the roots are strong, the branches flourish.”
Pasighat’s elders are very much the roots. Friday was just a reminder that they still are.
HASHTAGS
#SeniorCitizensDay #APSPA #Pasighat #ArunachalPradesh #EastSiang #RetiredWithPride #AbotaniTV #ArunachalNews #ElderCare #AyiKeEkum #AdiCulture #NortheastIndia #HonourOurElders #PensionersOfArunachal #CommunityFirst #TapiDarang #BokenPanggeng #SchoolRenovation #WisdomWithAge #ArunachalHeritage
