Senior citizens look for a second innings

MUMBAI: 'Wanted: 60-year-old for an office job in Andheri. Knowledge of computers preferred', screams an ad posted on a leading job search portal inviting retired persons to send in their resumes at the earliest. A second innings, it seems, is no longer just about Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan taking on new films. Alluring job opportunities are slowly opening up for the silver-haired brigade.
The Indian grandpa has now begun to upload his CV on the Internet in search of creative and lucrative alternatives to fight post-retirement blues. Take Mumbai's Santa Cruz resident Pratul Navalkar, who retired from the hospitality industry in 2005 and is now proud to be a consultant at a cultural organisation two years later. "The biggest misunderstanding in society is that at 60, one becomes redundant. Agreed, I have health problems but that doesn't prevent me from working or being efficient at my job," he says.
Guiding him in finding a job post-retirement was voluntary organisation Dignity Foundation, among the few NGOs in the city working exclusively for the welfare of senior citizens. The organisation is all set to boost the 'active ageing' movement with the launch of a 'second careers' website on World Elders Day on Monday. The portal is aimed as an interactive platform for retired job-seekers and potential employers.
Clearly, opportunities are growing. And it's no longer just non-governmental organisations or consultancy services which are welcoming retirees; even corporates like ICICI Prudential Life Insurance are opening their doors. "The industry is beginning to accept that people are capable of being productive beyond their retirement age and our company is looking at ways to better their quality of life," says MD Shikha Sharma. It has tied up with Dignity Foundation to explore how senior citizens can contribute to organisational ranks, be it in administration or training. The group's bank in Thane, Mumbai, has recently employed 13 senior citizens as phone banking officers.
At a time when the young and the restless are job hopping like there's no tomorrow, the grey-haired working force comes with its advantages. Octogenarian K L Khandpur from the Association for Senior Citizens, an informal group working in Worli, says employers who have given retirees a chance, rarely find reason to complain. "Besides they are ready to accept smaller salaries and have lower attrition rates," he says, jovially adding that our greying yet gung-ho politicians are the best icons for active ageing.
With the average life expectancy rising to 65 in India, the greying pool is eagerly waiting to be tapped to potential. New Age retirees aren't willing to brood over a change in roles but are raring to go. Seniors today have learnt to enjoy their retirement years, feels Meeta Bhatti, deputy editor of a magazine for senior citizens published by the Harmony for Silvers Foundation. Not surprisingly, Bhatti's office is flooded with scores of letters from seniors exploring their options. A 63-year-old woman retiree from the airline industry recently wrote in asking how she could put her experience to good use.