THRIVING IN MY GOLDEN YEARS

It's not that the thought of aging hasn’t crossed our minds, what is my life going to look like after retirement? will I have the same energy to work after 60 to provide for myself independently? These are some questions that live in our minds constantly, in this BLOG we are going to introduce you to some great hardworking people who have proven that you can start new flourishing ventures and businesses even after your retirement because age is just a number.

Harbhajan Kaur,94

Meet our first superhero Mrs. Harbhajan Kaur famous for her ‘besan di barfis’ from Chandigarh. Five years ago at 90, she thought it was time to do something of her own, she wanted to know how it felt to be independent. Her granddaughter gave her an idea to sell barfis so that’s what she did and sold out her first order and made Rs2000 that day and ever since then she had been building her brand ‘Harbhajan’s- Bachpan Yaad Aajaye (You will remember your childhood)’ which is being sold at the shelves of their homegrown grocery store in Chandigarh.

Mrs.Harbhajan is not only famous for her best-selling dish ‘barfis’ but her seasonal creations like sharbat, jam, achar, and halwa. Ever since her success, she has gained more than 12k followers on Instagram. Her granddaughter keeps shooting reels and videos for her Instagram.  Mrs. Kaur often says, “Beta ik vaar pair rakhan do jagaah banao te behan di jagga mil hi jaandi hai (Once you make space to put your foot, you definitely get the place to sit too).”

Radhakrishna Choudhary,85

Behind every successful man, there’s a woman was proven when Mr. Choudhary launched a hair oil with 50 herbs in it with the help of his wife Mrs. Shakuntala Choudhary, they have more than 2 lakh followers on Instagram. The 85-year-old resident of Surat Gujarat has joined a growing tribe of entrepreneurs who emerge post-retirement age. In June 2021 the duo launched their startup ‘Avimee Herbals’ with an aim to produce a chemical-free hair oil that will put an end to hair problems like premature balding, excessive hair loss, dandruff, and premature graying.

Mr. Choudhary took his retirement in 2010 from his family business but his work here was not done, little did he know that more success was on the way when in early 2021 his daughter complained about hair loss, instead of researching existing hair oil brands or suggesting home remedies (generally involving the right diet) like every other parent, Choudhary went one step ahead.

One morning, he sat at his desk, switched on the computer, and began researching the causes of hair fall. With several research papers and books by his side, he would spend hours at a stretch for the cause. Impressed by his diligence and focus, Shakuntala joined him in his research. They would identify the cause of each problem and find its solution in different herbs. The duo tested the oil on themselves for about 3 months and the response was overwhelming, to say the least as hair started growing on bald patches.For these golden agers, the experience of running a startup has been positive and satisfying so far.

Asha Puri,75

75-year-old Asha has been knitting sweaters, mufflers, scarfs, and more for the last 50 years. She never believed that anyone would buy hand-made knitted items in this machine-made world. That was three years ago, and today the company sends off 100 orders per month. She started this venture in 2017 with the help of her granddaughter and they named it ‘With Love From Granny’.“Though the venture was materialized in 2017 it picked up only after the nationwide lockdown. At this age, I had certainly not anticipated that my hobby would turn into a full-fledged startup, that too, during an unprecedented time like this. Kritika is the force behind bringing back knitted clothes in vogue,” Asha Ji said in an interview. Kritika is her granddaughter who suggested starting their venture.

WLFG hopes to expand its work in the coming years and they also want to work with NGOs in Delhi that can connect them to needy artisans who want to work.

Rajinder Kaur Chatha, 92

There’s truly no age when one can become an entrepreneur, with her homemade blends, Rajinder Kaur Chatha, 92, is whipping up a spicy success. Her startup tale serves as the ideal model for female business owners.In 2015 Mrs.Chatha posted on her Facebook about her grandmother and her favourite chai masala it all began there and soon she started getting enquires and by April 2018 she launched her brand ‘Ammiji’. Today, two years into operations, there have been several new products added and they retail close to 40 products like pickles, chai masala, and papad. Products are delivered pan-India and a lot of orders are being received from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, and even from Assam and Nagaland.

Radha Daga,74

Daga used to run a garment business but she knew that her love and passion lies in food, after a year of learning about food processing from all over the world she decided to create a product that focused on quality and tasteand in 2011 she launched her first range of packaged food with the company’s name ‘Triguni foods’. She currently produces 16,000 tubs of food in a month and sales stand at 1crore a month.

Santoshini Mishra, 74

This woman of Odisha’s husband used to run a pan shop when he died due to an illness and all the responsibilities came upon her shoulder, she had to become the breadwinner in their home since cooking was the best she did she relied on it by opening a catering service, Today her catering service in Odisha is a hit at weddings and other occasions. She is recognised in the region as a go-to for catering and even has 100 employees working under her.

Manju ji,85

London’s favorite Gujrati Indian restaurant is the brainchild of Manju Ji, who started this venture at 80. Lip-smacking dishes like bhel puri, Pani puri, paneer masala, and khanda bhajiya are curated at her restaurant. Behind this desi curation, is the eponymous 85-year-old’s love for cooking that made a restaurant in Brighton, 50 miles south of London, a famous spot for anyone looking for their dose of desi tadka.

Ever since the restaurant opened its doors to the public in 2017, they say the response has been fantastic. After a life of bringing up a family and putting her dreams on the back burner, she says she is blessed to have got an opportunity to follow her passion.

“Dreams do come true,” she said in an interview.