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Dear Stan, As I entered, I heard birds chirping, gentle winds kissed my face, hustling leaves whispered slowly in my ears. The milieu was serene and composed. Suddenly, I heard a chuckle at a distance.

As I went closer, the laughing grew louder. I saw a group of people with an extraordinary radiance on their faces - as though they had soaked up the sunshine. The smiles determined the joy they shared amongst each other.

Usually people have the impression that a home for the elderly encapsulates a group of old grieving people, who have lived their lives, with no hopes or expectations from their remaining future. But, what my eyes saw repudiated that.

As I stood there astounded, a nun approached me and offered to introduce me to everyone. I was watched by everyone as I greeted them. Immediately then a group amongst the old people invited me to join them in singing. Once the singing ceased, I had the opportunity to get to know them. It almost felt as though I was with little children in a primary classroom.

But as they unfolded the book of their lives, my eyes widened with shock and tears came trickling down. Someone was abandoned on a railway station, someone was left at an orphanage by their children, and someone's family was washed away in the floods.

The heart-rending and agonising tales were narrated by each one of them with a smile on their face.

My heart, mind and soul shouted out loud, asking millions of questions. How are they living with that pain? How can someone abandon them? How God could be so unjust to them? I could not stop myself from asking an old lady: "Don't you miss home?" And she answered with a twinkle in her eye: "This is home!"

The lady elucidated how her son considered her a burden in the house, a piece of furniture that needed to be fixed every now and then, thus it would be better to chuck it out. The mother in her arose, and she recollected memories of when she held his little palms to help him walk, when she stood outside the school until he was out of sight and slogged day and night to offer him the best in life. The lady paused, took a deep breath as though she was burying back all those memories in the grave of her solemn heart.

I comprehended this sour flavour of life in minutes. The lady helped me peep into the world wherein people came to the home due to various reasons, but the cause of their stay there was but one ... to live.

Old age is also known as a second childhood, since the elderly demand love and care.

The people in the home for the aged added a new dimension to my life, a different perspective. I learned how to find a reason to smile when all the doors of happiness have been shut.

Latika Rini Farrell, Mahooz.

Editor's note: Latika, 21, a former Indian School Bahrain pupil, has just finished her BA Hons in Hotel Management. She was inspired to write this letter after visiting an old folks' home in Aurangabad in Maharashtra State, India.

Dear Stan,

This refers to the article 'Buckle-up for a Safer Ride' by Liz O'Reilly (GulfWeekly - August 6-12).

We have witnessed many times in Bahrain parents allowing their children to sit on their lap while driving or between the two front seats.

Leave alone the law, first of all the parents must understand the dire consequences of such acts, for the safety of their children.

Seturam Aspari,

Adliya.

Dear Stan,

After the Blades nightmare, true bouncebackability was shown by QPR against Doncaster.

I have to say I've been impressed with the QPR coverage in GulfWeekly and I'd be immensely grateful for any part you can play in getting the boys over to Bahrain to play off-season.

All the best

Paul Bicknell

Middle East, Projects

DHL Express

Dear Stan,

Ref community effort to offer drinks to construction workers in last week's GulfWeekly.

It was a fanta-stic article and fanta-stic headline!We are planning a get-together of the volunteers here at the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant in Aali on the last day of the campaign and will take them on a plant tour.

Best regards,

Leila Rajkumar,

public relations manager,

The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Bahrain.