A callow 20-something Paul McCartney thought that the 60s were a time for knitting "a sweater by the fireside" and "doing the garden, digging the weeds" ("When I'm 64", Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band). Ironically at 82, McCartney is doing just the opposite. Instead of staying at home and playing with grandchildren, he is busy touring to packed auditoriums.
McCartney is not alone in leading an active life even after becoming a senior citizen. Gone are the days when turning 60 meant renouncing worldly pleasures and withdrawing into a shell. Take the example of Subhasree Tagore. The 76-year-old former professor and an avid traveller has been to Kunnur, the Stans and even to faraway New Zealand in the past few months.
“I love travelling. As a retired professor I now have the time and money to indulge myself. A lot of places now have provisions for elderly people. That’s a bonus,” she says.
Beyond pursuing leisure activities, many senior citizens continue to work. Delhi-based VP Gupta retired as registrar from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in 2012 when he turned 60. The very next day he joined a private university. At 72, he is still working; in fact, he earned a PhD when he was 65.
“My grandchildren are now on the verge of joining the workforce, but I don’t want to retire,” Gupta told Outlook Money, our sister publication.
Never Too Old
Most senior citizens after retirement either receive pension or have a sizeable nest egg in place, says Tagore. That plus enough free time and fewer commitments are catalysts for travel or pursuing their passions.
A 2024 paper Senior Care Reforms in India: Reimagining the Senior Care Paradigm by NITI Aayog notes that “by 2050 one in every four Indians will be a senior citizen, it will be equal to the population of the US for the industry in the form of a ‘silver economy’.”
Denne historien er fra October 2024-utgaven av Outlook Business.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 2024-utgaven av Outlook Business.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
From Chandni Chowk to Global Recognition
For Manish Aggarwal, director at Bikano, Bikanervala Foods, the family business was not just a responsibility but a passion he took to the global stage
Spotting AI Scams
Al has become an integral part of our lives, from customer service no insurance claims. But it is also becoming a tool for fraudsters who use it to scam individuals and corporations
Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom
On the banks of the Ganges in industrial Kanpur, a start-up has blossomed that turns waste flowers into incense
BATTERY LOW
India produces enough green energy to power many of its largest cities yet lacks the storage to use it efficiently. A nation blazing forward must leap ahead in battery technology to stay on course
We Have Everything Going for Rajasthan
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Rajasthan’s industry and commerce minister, tells Pushpita Dey why the state is suited to become a hub for investments.
Dairy and Other Dilemmas
India’s refusal to open its dairy market has complicated trade negotiations for years. As global partners demand concessions, is the cost of protectionism outweighing benefits?
Riding in a Maze
As gig workers ride into an uncertain future with little more than a smartphone and a bike, the government is struggling to arrange a socialsafety net. But millions without social security is recipe for disaster
BIRLA'S BIGGEST BATTLE
As Kumar Mangalam Birla completes 30 years at the helm of the Aditya Birla Group, he has a battle to defend his businesses and conquer new ones
THE INNOVATION LEAP
India dreams of becoming a product nation. But unless the corporate sector significantly increases spending on R&D, the country will continue to lag behind global peers
EDUCATION BUDGET MUST DOUBLE EVERY 3 YEARS
Veezhinathan Kamakoti, a renowned academic and director of Indian Institute of Technology Madras, tells Deepsekhar Choudhury on what technology sovereignty means for India and how it can propel the country towards its vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
