Enjoy Retirement Today

Professional privileges may disappear after retirement, but decades of experience and wisdom remain valuable.  A person begins a professional career around the age of 25 and spends the next 30 to 35 years building qualifications, handling responsibilities, managing people and gaining practical experience.  By the time retirement arrives, that person may be at the peak of professional wisdom.  Then, almost overnight, everything changes. The regular salary stops. Official accommodation, vehicles, domestic assistance and other privileges disappear. The familiar workplace routine ends, often leaving the retiree unprepared for an entirely different lifestyle. A Lesson from My Father's Retirement After my father retired, the family moved into a smaller house in Mohali (Punjab). One morning, I noticed my father polishing his own shoes. The sight brought tears to my eyes. During my childhood, domestic staff had polished the family's shoes before the children left for school. ...

At 70, Vijay Kumar leads the kind of life usually associated with healthy ageing. A retired employee of the Chandigarh UT administration, he lives in Zirakpur, Punjab, follows a disciplined routine and is a vegetarian. He neither smokes nor consumes alcohol. Even his morning tea has traditionally included herbs. As a member of the 5AM Bliss Wellness community, he remains conscious about health and wellbeing. Yet an unexpected medical discovery changed his life. Vijay consulted a doctor for constipation, an apparently unrelated problem. During the investigation, tests revealed suspicious spots on his left kidney. Further examinations, including ultrasound and CT scans, eventually established that the growth was cancerous. The most surprising part was that Vijay had experienced no pain or discomfort associated with the kidney problem. There had been no obvious warning that something serious was developing inside his body. After consultations with several doctors, removal of the affe...

After decades of work, responsibilities and meeting the needs of a family, retirement brings something that was often scarce during working life: time. For many retired people, one cherished desire is to visit places connected with their faith. A pilgrimage may be an expression of gratitude, fulfil a long-held wish, reconnect someone with spiritual roots, or simply provide peace and reflection. This desire is also contributing to a rapidly expanding global industry. Grand View Research estimates the global religious tourism market at $370.8 billion in 2026 and expects it to reach $671.9 billion by 2030, with an annual growth rate of 15.6 per cent between 2025 and 2030. Improved transport, accommodation and accessibility are making sacred destinations easier to visit. Age and financial circumstances can make retirement particularly suitable for such journeys. Many people have greater control over their schedules after retirement. Some have savings or pensions that allow them to fina...

For most of human history, societies worried about having enough young people to work, produce and support families. A different demographic reality is now emerging. People are living longer, birth rates are falling in many countries, and the number of senior citizens is rising rapidly. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were about 1.2 billion people aged 60 and above globally in 2023. This number is projected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050, when roughly one in five people worldwide will be 60 or older. India is moving in the same direction. The UNFPA India Ageing Report 2023 projects that the country's elderly population could exceed 20 per cent of the total population by 2050. By 2046, the number of elderly people may even surpass the population of children aged up to 15 years. India has 153 million people aged 60 plus. By 2050 that number is likely to reach 347 million, around 20 per cent of the population.   Living longer is an achievement of modern civil...

My father retired from the Indian Army as a Major in 1985. He received four years of re-employment and finally retired in 1989 at the age of 56. His monthly pension was Rs. 950, and his lifetime savings from service amounted to Rs. 1.5 lakh. At that time, there was a re-employment cell in Delhi to help retired Army personnel find civilian jobs. My father lived for another 30 years and passed away in 2019. During those three decades, he never received even a 15-paisa postcard from that office. After retirement, our family settled in a small house in Mohali. The town was developing rapidly, with companies such as Ranbaxy and several factories operating there. Many of them recruited retired Army officers as Security Officers. My father visited numerous organisations seeking employment. Almost every employer gave him the same answer. They preferred Short Service Commission officers who retired in their thirties because they could serve the company for another 20 years. At the age of 56...