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In the unforgettable segment Bridge from the 2009 Malayalam anthology film Kerala Café, National Award-winning actor Salim Kumar, who died recently, portrays Manikandan, a poor, desperate son who abandons his frail, ageing mother on a bustling city street. He promises to return, but instead disappears forever across a bridge.

The mother, played with heartbreaking grace by Santhadevi, is left entirely to the elements, her world shattered by the very child she nurtured. On the veranda of the café, she crosses paths with a discarded, wandering kitten. In their silent, shared companionship, the film delivers a searing metaphor for human abandonment – the painful truth that the distance between love and neglect can be as short, and as unforgiving, as a single bridge. 

As the world marks World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) 2026, under the global theme Beyond Awareness: Making Elder Abuse Prevention Work, this cinematic tragedy reads like a documentary of modern Indian life.

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) emphasises that we must move past merely recognising the issue toward building robust institutions, legal protections, and community care systems. Elder abuse is a heavily hidden public health and human rights crisis.

However, across India, the social and emotional safety nets meant to protect senior citizens are fraying quickly under the weight of demographic transition and changing social values. A crucial question is how far can a neoliberal state go in protecting the ageing population? 

Plausibly, India is undergoing an unprecedented demographic transition. The national elderly population (aged 60 and above) is surging, with the Technical Group on Population Projections estimating that senior citizens will cross 230 million by 2036.

According to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Annual Report 2025–26, India is already home to well over 100 million older adults, making up nearly 9% of the total population.

While the absolute numbers are mounting, a profound north-south demographic divide characterises this growth. Central and eastern states maintain much younger populations, whereas southern states and select northern hill regions are ageing at a vastly accelerated rate. For example, by 2036, states like Uttar Pradesh are projected to hover around a 12% elderly population share, while Kerala is predicted to reach up to 23%.

Despite the cultural narrative that Indian families naturally absorb and care for their elders, data paints a completely different reality. A nationwide survey by HelpAge India revealed a troubling paradox: while roughly 82% of older adults live with their families, the household is often the primary site of mistreatment. In that study, 35% of seniors who experienced abuse identified their sons as the primary perpetrators, followed closely by daughters-in-law. 

Data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) documented an........

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