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Life after retirement
--Dr RAJ BAHADUR YADAV
We are incorrigibly nostalgic people; whatever is past is golden to
us. Having retired from government service, I am now not in haste in
the morning to get up with the lark. While sipping hot tea at a
roadside tea-stall,one of my old friends said to me,"Ab to aap khaali
ho gaye ho!"[Now you are jobless]. These words shocked me a bit but my
friend was just underlining the truth. I replied with a modest smile
on my face,"Yes. Sir, ab to sara din makkhi marani hai[ Now I have to
kill flies all the day]. At this, he and some other people sitting at
the tea-stall rolled with laughter. I believe in telling my story
without artifice or guile. When I returned home, I faced the
vegetables' vendor in the street. He was quite aware from his daily
interactions with our family members that I had recently retired from
active service. With a twinkle of mischief in his eyes, he said
aloud,"Aaj chhutti hai kya, Sir?"[Is today some public holiday?].
Within a week, everyone in our street had come to know about hanging
up of my boots as a school principal.
We are all curious about as to what is in
store of future for us. I remember to have participated in dozens of
retirement parties held in honour of my colleagues and senior
academics. When the people would have finished eating samosas," gulab
jamuns and burfies"[ popular Indian sweets], I was very often urged to
say a few kind words in their honour. When my own retirement came
nearer, I too was a little nervous about the last day of my teaching
career. I grew a bit sad when somebody said," Achcha to ab aap retire
ho rahen hain"[ Now, you are going to retire]. I would promptly
philosophize just like William Shakespeare," Whatever is born,must
die,passing into eternity". There was a time when I was a school going
child and my grandmother's loose skin folds due to oldage amused
me,"Can anyone grow so old?"She used to advise me," Respect everybody
in the village. Never address them by their names but as "uncle' or
"aunt". Don't laugh at those who have grown old like me because you
too one day will certainly grow old and have loose skin folds like
me". My grandmother joined the heavenly choir forty-five years ago yet
her wise words of advice still resonate into my ears. On the last day
when I said "goodbye" to my colleagues, I missed my grandmother the
most.She was very kind and affectionate towards me and prepared me for
the school in the morning for some pretty good years. It was the most
awaited moment in my life. My colleagues were talking about me and I
was listening to their kind words. I felt that an important phase of
my life had come to an end. I felt as if I had started going to
school only yesterday itself and covered up a long journey of many
decades in no time. Shakespeare has quite beautifully enlightened us,"
We are such stuff as dreams are made on/ Our little life is rounded
with a dream". To my great surprise, life remained as tedious and
busy as it was before my retirement.Perhaps, life 's beauty lies in
its being rough,tough and challenging. There was a time when I was
young and inexperienced, but I was lucky to have got the company and
blessings of my family elders and exemplary friends. Perhaps, the last
phase of my life's journey has begun. I know from my own personal
experiences that one should work against the clock and should never
giver up hope. While summing up this piece, I quote Emily Dickinson,
the most popular poetess of America,"Hope is the thing with
feathers/That perches in the soul/ And sings the tune without the
words and never stops at all".
us. Having retired from government service, I am now not in haste in
the morning to get up with the lark. While sipping hot tea at a
roadside tea-stall,one of my old friends said to me,"Ab to aap khaali
ho gaye ho!"[Now you are jobless]. These words shocked me a bit but my
friend was just underlining the truth. I replied with a modest smile
on my face,"Yes. Sir, ab to sara din makkhi marani hai[ Now I have to
kill flies all the day]. At this, he and some other people sitting at
the tea-stall rolled with laughter. I believe in telling my story
without artifice or guile. When I returned home, I faced the
vegetables' vendor in the street. He was quite aware from his daily
interactions with our family members that I had recently retired from
active service. With a twinkle of mischief in his eyes, he said
aloud,"Aaj chhutti hai kya, Sir?"[Is today some public holiday?].
Within a week, everyone in our street had come to know about hanging
up of my boots as a school principal.
We are all curious about as to what is in
store of future for us. I remember to have participated in dozens of
retirement parties held in honour of my colleagues and senior
academics. When the people would have finished eating samosas," gulab
jamuns and burfies"[ popular Indian sweets], I was very often urged to
say a few kind words in their honour. When my own retirement came
nearer, I too was a little nervous about the last day of my teaching
career. I grew a bit sad when somebody said," Achcha to ab aap retire
ho rahen hain"[ Now, you are going to retire]. I would promptly
philosophize just like William Shakespeare," Whatever is born,must
die,passing into eternity". There was a time when I was a school going
child and my grandmother's loose skin folds due to oldage amused
me,"Can anyone grow so old?"She used to advise me," Respect everybody
in the village. Never address them by their names but as "uncle' or
"aunt". Don't laugh at those who have grown old like me because you
too one day will certainly grow old and have loose skin folds like
me". My grandmother joined the heavenly choir forty-five years ago yet
her wise words of advice still resonate into my ears. On the last day
when I said "goodbye" to my colleagues, I missed my grandmother the
most.She was very kind and affectionate towards me and prepared me for
the school in the morning for some pretty good years. It was the most
awaited moment in my life. My colleagues were talking about me and I
was listening to their kind words. I felt that an important phase of
my life had come to an end. I felt as if I had started going to
school only yesterday itself and covered up a long journey of many
decades in no time. Shakespeare has quite beautifully enlightened us,"
We are such stuff as dreams are made on/ Our little life is rounded
with a dream". To my great surprise, life remained as tedious and
busy as it was before my retirement.Perhaps, life 's beauty lies in
its being rough,tough and challenging. There was a time when I was
young and inexperienced, but I was lucky to have got the company and
blessings of my family elders and exemplary friends. Perhaps, the last
phase of my life's journey has begun. I know from my own personal
experiences that one should work against the clock and should never
giver up hope. While summing up this piece, I quote Emily Dickinson,
the most popular poetess of America,"Hope is the thing with
feathers/That perches in the soul/ And sings the tune without the
words and never stops at all".
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