Pune: While the 21st century is witnessing the most fast paced changes in the technology than ever before, keeping up with the digitised world is a huge deal for the elderly people, for whom technology is a wonder that they need to explore to keep up with the world.
To adapt to the advanced gadgets and technology, books that explain the basic usage of smartphones, Internet, etc., are a huge hit amongst the senior citizens. Rohan Champanerkar of Rohan Prakashan said that a book brought into the market by the publication two years ago clicked with senior citizens instantly and is still bought extensively by people all over Maharashtra.
“In 2015, we published ‘Smart Pane Vapara, Ashtapailu Smartphone’ (use your multifaceted smartphone smartly) written by author Sushrut Kulkarni. The book had details of how to operate smartphones effectively for very basic functions like installing apps, using WhatsApp, Facebook, etc., to slightly complex ones like shopping online, paying bills, transferring money, booking a cab, and so on.
Within five months, we released five editions of the book across the State. We also brought out an English edition on public demand, which was called ‘Master Your Smartphone in 24 Hours’, Champanerkar said.
“The book is designed in such a way that even those who have never touched a smartphone in their life will be able to use it,” he said.
Rohan Prakashan has recently also given a publishing house in New Delhi the permission to bring out a Hindi edition of the book, which is likely to be published at the beginning of 2018. The publication also released a book titled ‘Smart Pane Vha Cashless’ (go cashless smartly) for the senior citizens a year ago, when demonetisation was announced and the government pushed for cashless transactions.
Apart from publishing the book, Rohan Prakashan, Kulkarni also went to senior citizens’ associations to spread awareness about learning technology.
Vilas Rabade, a Pune-based senior citizen who also collaborated with Champanerkar to spread awareness about the book amongst around 350 to 400 elders in the city. “We also held training workshops for people. Although, we can learn a lot by reading these books, practical knowledge is always the best. Hence, we hold workshops to teach senior citizens how to use smartphones effectively and then they can continue the usage with the help of the book,” Rabade said.