'Thatha is a treasure': Woman shares 95-year-old grandfather's lifestyle, calls him 'new face' of wellness

In the post, she argued that her grandfather’s life challenges the notion that longevity depends on commercial fitness culture or supplements. She wrote: 'Living proof you can live a long and healthy life even without a wildly overpriced gym membership, taking supplements (what is even in protein powder) or growing up with the idea ‘wellbeing’ that we now have to force into our lives.'

Shubhi Mishra

February 20, 2026 / 13:31 IST

The post prompted numerous responses from users who praised the elderly man’s vitality.

A social media post written in tribute to a woman’s elderly grandfather has attracted significant online engagement, after she highlighted his independence and long life as a contrast to modern health and wellness trends.

Referring to him affectionately as “thatha”, a term commonly used for grandfather in several South Asian languages, she began her message: “An appreciation post for my 94 (!!) year old thatha ~”.

She drew attention to what she described as the scale of the contemporary beauty and wellbeing market, writing: “The beauty and wellbeing industry is worth trillions of dollars but here is my thatha still walking and cooking and learning new skills (like using his laptop!).”

In the post, she argued that her grandfather’s life challenges the notion that longevity depends on commercial fitness culture or supplements. She wrote: “Living proof you can live a long and healthy life even without a wildly overpriced gym membership, taking supplements (what is even in protein powder) or growing up with the idea ‘wellbeing’ that we now have to force into our lives.”

The message also placed her grandfather’s lifestylewithin a broader cultural context. She stated: “South Asian and Hindu traditions had movement, mindfulness and mental clarity built into daily life for hundreds of years before it became Instagrammable.”