The World Health Organisation has declared "And Life to Years" as the theme of the World Health Day, April 7, 1982, with a view to focussing our attention on the problems of the aging citizens which have acquired a global significance. India too is heading towards an era of 'age explosion' which poses a challenges to our planners, administrations and social scientists. The book Aging and Society is a pioneer study in the field of Social Gerontology in India. It treats the subjects in a most comprehensives manner and examines the various social and personal factors affecting the life and adjustment patterns in old age. Data on martial and living conditions, economic adjustment, dependency, family life and inter generational relations health, religion, leisure0time, social participation atc. have been analysed and presented in the book. The book contains a critical analysis of various approaches to successful aging. It also examines social security and welfare programmes for the retired, oil persons in the context of social change and presents a brief account of pensioners' movement in the country.

Dr.H.S. Bhatia, M.A. Ph.D., has taught sociology at Lucknow, Meerut and Udaipur at the Graduate and Post Graduate levels. He has also served as Research Supervisor in the research project on 'Public Participation in Planning', Department of Political Science, Lucknow University. He joined the Orientation and Study Centre, Department of India, Pune, in 1965 and is presently working as Vice-Principal, State Institute of Community Development and Panchayati Raj, Udaipur.