My Grandfather’s Long, Healthy Life

My grandfather was born in 1910. He lived to 92 years old. Even though he was born and lived in India, a third world country at the time. But he was a Brahmin, and that makes a difference. But, he was also over 6 feet tall. And shorter people do live longer. Grandfather beat those odds, anyway.

The reason it helps to be a Brahmin in a place like India — thanks to the caste system — which I’m not a fan of, BTW — Grandfather had some advantages, just like upper-middle class people in the United States will tend to live longer than working-class people.

Genes of course also play a part in this. Both my mother’s parents lived to be over 90 despite being from India which has a life expectancy of less than 70 years. Back in 1960, it only had a life expectancy of 40! On the other hand, my father’s parents also lived to ripe old ages, but Dad died relatively young. I think stress killed him.

One thing Grandfather had going for him — he wasn’t stress prone.

And it’s not like he lived a sheltered life — in fact, as a young man, he was part of Mahatma Gandhi’s freedom movement. He was actually jailed by the British and had his knees busted. During the early years of his marriage, he traveled across the country to remote villages with his bride. They were working for Gandhi during this time. They often slept on the floor in temples and ate very poor foods since there were no hotels or restaurants in these rural areas. Yet despite these privations, he was a very healthy man.

So, aside from genetics, what factors do I think contributed to my grandfather’s long and healthy life? Note the last factor — he did not just live a long life, but a healthy, active one. When I visited India in 1990, Grandfather was 80 years old. Yet he hiked up a mountain faster than the rest of our group, all of whom were under 50 at the time.

He was also mentally sharp. During that same trip, he beat me at chess and recited chapters from the Bhagavad Gita from memory.

What were some of the things he did that he felt contributed to his good healthy and vitality?

He was not materialistic

It’s not that he didn’t value money or take good care of it. But it wasn’t the focus of his life. Grandfather made a comfortable living for his family, but money was not the sole focus of his life.

He was spiritual

He meditated and prayed every day. When he was younger, he did yoga. He would spend time reciting the Gita and other important religious texts. Research has shown that meditation can help lower heart rate and blood pressure, too important factors when it comes to longevity. It has other important benefits, as well.

His dietary practices seem strange nowadays

My grandfather was a big believer in knowing exactly what you put in your body. He ate all of his meals at home. For people who live in a fast-food society, this seems quite weird. But, particularly in a place like India, where there may not have been the same standards of hygiene, it made sense.

Grandfather also had many dietary restrictions. He didn’t eat meat or eggs. He didn’t drink alcohol, tea, or coffee. Many of these restrictions were due to his being a Brahmin. He did drink dairy; however, it was quite fresh.

When Grandfather worked for Mahatma Gandhi, his family lived on the ashram. My Mom remembers that they had a cow for milk and a water buffalo for butter. Every morning, the children would line up in front of the cow with their tumblers. Grandfather would directly milk into each child’s tumbler. They drank that warm, fresh milk for breakfast. The calf was allowed to nurse freely from its mother except first thing in the morning, so there would be enough milk for the children.

Later, when Grandfather lived in Bombay (which is now Mumbai), he still got fresh milk. A milkman would come to the condo where he and Grandmother lived with his cows. Grandmother would hand him a pail, and he would milk one of the cows in front of her, into the pail that she had scrubbed clean. She would then bring the milk to a quick boil in her kitchen.

My grandfather only ate one large meal a day after middle age. It included dal, chapati, home-made yogurt, and a variety of cooked vegetables as well as home-made pickles. Fresh fruit and nuts were eaten as snacks.

Grandfather exercised every day

After eating his mid-day meal, Grandfather went for a walk. When I visited him he took me on one of these walks. We did a circuit around the nearby university campus. Grandfather liked to be around young people.

We walked for about 2 miles at a brisk pace, but we stopped several times so Grandfather could chat with friends along the way.

So in addition to providing his daily workout, the walks gave him a social life.

He simplified his life as he got older

When I visited him in 1981, he and Grandmother lived in a nice condo. It wasn’t elaborately furnished, but there were floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with books in the main living area, a well equipped kitchen, a balcony, a large bathroom, and plenty of storage space. By the time I visited in 1990, he had moved to a one room unit that was sparsely furnished. As he got older, he had less energy to devote to caring for a home so he simplified.

He was curious and interested in the world around him

On our walk, I was intrigued that he was genuinely curious about each person he talked to. He cared about their lives. And he read the paper every day and took an interest in the world around him, including the latest advances in science and technology.

He loved to laugh

He told jokes and never seemed to lose his temper. It’s not that he couldn’t be fierce, but his anger was seldom seen. He loved to watch “I Love Lucy” and other American comedies.

He had adventures into his old age

When he was 90 years old, he visited my uncle in Canada. My uncle was working and couldn’t take my grandfather around to see the country and my grandfather had never learned to drive. So, he hitchhiked.

That’s right, my 90 year old grandfather hitched rides across Canada. He saw much of the country and made friendships. Apparently people were so tickled by his story, they would invite him home for meals and even let him sleep on their couches. He did stay in a few hotel rooms and ate fruits and yogurt he’d pick up at grocery stores, but a lot less than one would expect.

So, how many of these factors contributed to my grandfather’s long and healthy life? I think many of them did. That doesn’t mean we all need to become vegetarians or go hitchhiking. But obviously following healthy habits and keeping a sense of curiosity and adventure might be able to help. What do you think?

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This post was previously published on Shefali O’Hara’s blog.

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