Why Prayagraj is third most forgetful city (IANS Special)
Prayagraj, March 18 (IANS) Does a sedentary lifestyle make you forgetful? Yes, if psychiatrists are to be believed. And it is this that has now made Prayagraj the third most forgetful city in the country.
The survey, conducted by the cab service Uber’s lost-and-found index released a few days ago, says that Prayagraj has ranked third when it comes to passengers forgetting their belongings in the cab after the ride.
Uber’s fourth edition of ‘Lost and Found Index’ throws up some surprises when it comes to the kind of things that passengers are leaving behind in the cab.
Mobile phones, cameras, umbrellas, keys, spectacles, wallets, water bottles are among the usual items that people forget to carry back when the ride ends. The more surprising items include dentures (false teeth), balloons, teddy bears, books, brooms and icebox.
Dr R.N. Mathur, a psychiatrist (retired) in Prayagraj, said that the sedentary lifestyle that a large population in this city leads is responsible for this.
“The city has large population of retired persons. Prayagraj has several government institutions like the High Court, Public Service Commission, Accountant General and Railway Recruitment Board, among others. People who retire, settle down here and this elderly population is prone to dementia because they do not lead an active lifestyle,” he said.
Dr Mathur said that in cities like Mumbai and Delhi, people are agile and lead an active life which keeps them mentally active too.
Though the Uber index ranks Mumbai and Kolkata as the two most forgetful cities when it comes to cab passengers, Dr Mathur said that the ranking was probably proportionate to the population that travels in the cab in these cities.
He said that in Prayagraj, it was common for elderly people to leave their keys with neighbors because they tend to forget them during their outing.
Another retired bureaucrat in Prayagraj, who did not wish to be named, said that more than once he had forgotten his umbrella and keys in the cabs.
“It is probably because of the age but now I have stopped travelling alone and my mobile is held by a boy who accompanies me,” he said.
The Uber report further said that most of the items were left behind in the cabs during 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Dr Mathur said that this was because the time is when most elderly people take a nap.
–IANS
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