Retired life no longer means just playing with grandchildren and laid back days for women today. Reshma Krishnamurthy Sharma meets a bunch of spirited women who have taken up activities as varied as trekking and artificial floral decorations to fill in all the free time on hand.
Playing computer games, pubbing, hanging out at cafes with friends or for that matter tweeting – for the 50-something women, these probably sound too immature. Or perhaps brings the thought ‘been there done that’. On the other hand, activities like shopping, taking a nap or watching television are just too boring and clichéd.
While they do occasionally enjoy a shopping spree or that afternoon nap, several educated urban women above 50 are choosing other creative activities that help them to learn something new on a regular basis and maintain hobbies that get them soul satisfaction. These are enthusiastic women who now have fewer responsibilities in the family, are as tech-savvy as their younger counterparts and are keen to do something creative in life. Undoubtedly they are enjoying their personal time in envious ways, unlike others who feel retired life is meant for relaxing at home.
Writing books, poetry, painting, travelling with other women, and volunteering for NGOs are just a few amongst a host of interesting activities. The freedom to do things at their pace and with lesser burden of looking after the family are making homemakers and those pursuing professional interests rekindle their passions and utilise their personal time for something resourceful.
Padmini Balaram is in her sixties and enjoys travelling alone or with other women across the globe and paints at leisure. She says, “I have had my time toiling away in a bank. Now that I have retired, I love to do glass painting or ceramic stuff, something I used to do occasionally when I was in the bank. As for travelling it gives me immense joy to go to lesser popular tourist destinations. In fact, I feel as human beings we should never stop learning. I have also joined music classes recently.”
It is not that they do not spend time with their children and grandchildren, or spend lazy days at home. But age certainly hasn’t slowed them down or made them give up their interests. Take for instance Indira Nadig. She has tried her hand at writing poetry, making artificial floral arrangements, acting in movies, and has also started a women’s club, all when in her sixties. Today at 65, she is eager to learn new things every day. She makes floral arrangements in her garage, which doubles up as her boutique, and sells them to a variety of clients in India and abroad.
Says Indira, “I find every floral arrangement to be an expression, like the poems I write. Age doesn’t really matter when you want to learn and do something new every single day. It is not that I don’t spend time with my granddaughter or do what most others do at my age. But if you ask me, it is essential for someone to have their own identity rather than just be someone’s wife or mother.”
Indira has a word of advice for all those women who are entering their fifties. “Women are generally busy with household, family, children and even career until they reach 50. After that, one has the option of remaining idle and losing precious time, or to learn something new or take up a hobby that gets your mind involved creatively,” she says.
Shyla Kurma, who is 50 and has trekked in several destinations like Sikkim, Uttaranchal and Coorg, says, “I have always been a career person but now I take breaks so that I can trek, be with nature, breathe air that is pure and I love that solitude. If you have the health, an understanding family and the money to take up something innovative, just go for it.”
It really doesn’t seem to matter if you lost time with multiple responsibilities pulling you down when you wanted to take up hobbies in your younger years. There is still plenty of time to catch up.
(This article written by me was published at: http://www.justfemme.in/leisure-after-fifty )