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About Retirement

SubramaniamVK

New member
Namaste members,

I understand each of us are in different phases of life. I wish to post a situation and get opinion from the group:
Expecting to retire in 10 years (with God's blessings)

Option 1: Metro Life (Chennai)

Option 2: Life in smaller town/villages in south India. (Nearby - Trichy, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Madurai)

Here are few +ves & -ves which I have listed as per my general assessment:

City life
1. Convenience of getting everything at our doorstep
2. Advanced Internet, Hospitals,malls and banking (always expensive & busy)
3. Easy travel to all around INDIA/ abroad because of airport connectivity
4. Higher Cost of living

Town/Village life:
1. Calm and relaxed. (but need lots of patience to get any utility work completed, like electrical/plumbing)
2. Air quality is reasonably better and hopefully better ground water.
3. Fancy facilities of big hospitals, parks, malls are not easily available.
4. If we are lucky enough to stay healthy (& wealthy) we can grow our own vegetable and fruits in the backyard.
5. Visit to temples nearby (but not crowded like city..especially the big and famous temples)

I would appreciate your views and comments, specifically from members who are in 60s & 70s.

Thank you
Subramaniam
 
Visit to temples nearby (but not crowded like city..especially the big and famous temples)
It is not that easy to visit as the temples are crowded with this or that by pilgrimages. For eg திருக்கடையூர் always crowded with people to do 60 or 80 or even in between for Bheema radha Santhi. Likewise every temple is now coming with an agenda of Rahu kethu or marriage to happen and so it is not that easy to visit village temples. Also seasonal crowd like Sabarimala pilgrims பழனி மேல்மருவத்தூர் etc pilgrims will visit all the 48 days to some temple or the other by booking tourist cabs. It is not the same ole villages now. Also one will feel stranger to settle even if it is our own childhoold village as nobody from our clan own exists.

So it is better to settle in Chennai if you want to settle in South India and specifically TN. If for any other state too it is better to settle in city.

Quote
Air quality is reasonably better and hopefully better ground water. Unquote

Even in small towns drinking water is only through canned water or Ro water brought in mini lorries.

Someone even say about Coimbatore as there are many serene communities are available but I feel even that is not worth to settle if people are not born and brought up at Coimbatore.
 
In my opinion, it is better to stay in Metro where there are more Health care facilities.

This is the priority.

When age grows, energy diminishes.

Ageing is a natural process and tend to have a higher prevalence of chronic diseases.

As such, it is better to settle in a Metro, as there are lot of multi-specialty hospitals to take care of senior citizens.

Here, one can have an easy access to better medical attention. Of course, country living may require lot of driving

One of my friends, who retired recently and owns agricultural land at his native, left for his native place after retirement. He wished to enjoy retired life along wit his relatives, boyhood friends,etc. His attempts proved futile. He seems to have tried and found practically lot of shortcomings in country life.

He has returned to Metro and leading a peaceful life now.
 
My suggestion will be a Retirement Home in a city. In many residential complexes 2-3 buildings (multistorey) are set apart for senior citizens while the rest are open to all. You have shopping amenities (supermarkets/ departmental stores) including pharmacies within the colony. Mess facilities are extended to people in Senior Citizen homes and additional care is taken to serve hygienically prepared healthful food. Library (ever growing with residents and their relatives and friends contributing their books), recreation facilities and even a recreation hall are generally included. Ambulance and paramedical staff services are available 24x7. Generally, a regular doctor makes a weekly visit. And, you can enjoy a happy and active social life after retirement. My relatives stay in a Senior Citizen Home in the outskirts of Bengaluru and I have visited them - the upkeep is excellent. I am also told that festivals are a truly social affair there and Navaratri in particular is a grand event in the colony with the senior ladies taking the lead.

Of course, you will have to wait till you are a Senior Citizen to buy one but you can plan and save in these 10 years.

(I am a senior citizen (but actively employed) and though I am reasonably well off, I am not in a position to invest 35-40 lacs to move to a retirement home myself. I am worldly (not spiritual) and a retirement home is my choice for all the worldly benefits offered.)
 
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My suggestion will be a Retirement Home in a city. In many residential complexes 2-3 buildings (multistorey) are set apart for senior citizens while the rest are open to all. You have shopping amenities (supermarkets/ departmental stores) including pharmacies within the colony. Mess facilities are extended to people in Senior Citizen homes and additional care is taken to serve hygienically prepared healthful food. Library (ever growing with residents and their relatives and friends contributing their books), recreation facilities and even a recreation hall are generally included. Ambulance and paramedical staff services are available 24x7. Generally, a regular doctor makes a weekly visit. And, you can enjoy a happy and active social life after retirement. My relatives stay in a Senior Citizen Home in the outskirts of Bengaluru and I have visited them - the upkeep is excellent. I am also told that festivals are a truly social affair there and Navaratri in particular is a grand event in the colony with the senior ladies taking the lead.

Of course, you will have to wait till you are a Senior Citizen to buy one but you can plan and save in these 10 years.

(I am a senior citizen (but actively employed) and though I am reasonably well off, I am not in a position to invest 35-40 lacs to move to a retirement home myself. I am worldly (not spiritual) and a retirement home is my choice for all the worldly benefits offered.)
Very sensible post, I agree with it.
 
Metro cities have their own challenges.
But for family and friends to visit you it would be better to be in a major Metro.
 
It all depends on what you want. The 60years landmark at which people retire is not really the retirement if you have a healthy body. So you can still work. So go to your village and settle down there. You will have your boyhood friends there.
You have enough energy left with you you can start a free tuition class for the village children. It can be to prepare them for School Final, Degree, IAS, or any entrance exam for professional courses like BE, Medical etc., You can organise the people and have a small white revolution in your village. You can help the villagers in their transactions with Government. And many other things.......
But carefully burry the ego and temptation to go into politics even if the entire village encourages you. If you are not that type, settle down in a city and get active in religion and the eternal search.
 
hi

the small personal story....my boyhood friend settled in small village in palakkad....we both studied

together in LP school in my village..means 1 to 4 classes together...i left village and he purchased

our house in the same village...he retired from a nationalised as big level officer level....he came to

same village and purchased some agricultural land settled in village...his father was priest in the village

temple...now he is taking care of same temple....i visited the same village and stayed in the same

house last year ...he insisted me to settle down in the same village after 60 yrs...

i moved from the village to city/then national capital delhi/then canada and now in USA for

more than 2 decades and i am an USA CITIZEN TOO... i like to settle in my village....but

i have to compromise many things including my family...we used to discuss advaita philosophy regularly..

we have to sacrifice many things in life including family members.....
 
can any body in this group suggest useful time pass for retired man living in chennai city
It is very difficult to propose a solution for you by others. You have to choose your lifestyle.
To begin with, what is your passion, qualification, physical activity level, etc will decide the activity you would like.

My cousin after retiring from a major bank now helps run the Goshala for Kanchi Matt in Tamil Nadu.

 
can any body in this group suggest useful time pass for retired man living in chennai city
I am a senior citizen and I took VRS from a major PSU but I continue to work from home as a consultant for a private limited company.

Try Sudoku and Kakuro online. If you find you like it and feel comfortable solving it online you can continue that way. I like both (Kakuro especially as there are more ways to think) but as I have to spend long hours on the computer for other things I bought Kakuro and Sudoku puzzle books on Amazon and I take turns at one or the other before going to bed. Many puzzle books are also made available on the net in PDF format for free (legally) - if you have a printer, you can download a book and take prints of a few puzzles at a time. Puzzles are also believed to greatly reduce the likelihood of age related memory problems. Reading is another pastime.

If you like music you have plenty of it on the net - Carnatic, other classical, film songs (whatever be your favourite brand).

Even cleaning the house can be a pleasurable activity especially if we prepare a calendar in advance for the cleaning activities . Some form of physical activity is absolutely essential.

My cousin who retired from Indian Overseas Bank was regularly attending Gita classes (conducted for free) where the Bhagavad Gita was translated verse by verse and explained/ expounded. Further, as he had never learnt Hindi or Sanskrit in school/ college, it gave him an opportunity to learn the Devanagari script. But it is likely that these have come to a halt in this time of Covid unless there are online classes for these. If you are also spiritually inclined you can get helpful suggestions in this forum.

Retired life should be enjoyed - after all, we have earned it!
 
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hi

i have retired bank manager in my home....i have house in thiruvamiyur....nice beach walk daily for more than

2 hours....visiting local library.....some community service can be very healthy life...but we need a likeminded

people and same wavelength required.....sometime we can learn new things....which was not available

in our younger ages...like learning vedas/bhagavad gita/ instrumental music and some membership

in cultural academy...
 
Dear Sri Subramaniam,

Retirement is just a word. But we never retire from life. As for me, I worked for earning in India and abroad till I am 70 and preferred to live with my Son and his family (joint family). As my son and DIL are employed, my wife and I take care of the family and our grand children. Yes, as individuals we do have difference of opinion due to difference in age. But with little bit of give and take we can iron it out and proceed. As we became aged we have handed over the responsibility of running the house to my son and DIL. They take care of every need of ours.
It is my view that nothing can be a substitute for love of our own kith and kin.
That is life.
Best wishes for a happy retired life.
Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.
 
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