INDIA: More Couples Retiring At Special Homes

MUMBAI (The Indian Express), November 28, 2005: For a few thousands a month, upper middle-class senior citizens can now get comfortable accommodation, modern facilities and security Dr. Melba Noronha (79), a retired general practitioner, has a plush, two-bedroom flat at Lokhandwala, Andheri (West). Yet she’s been living at a Navi Mumbai home for six years. "My husband passed away in 1948. And after my youngest child moved out, I just didn’t feel safe alone," she said. "Then I heard of this home, where you can pay a monthly sum and get a nice room and good facilities." Noronha is referring to Sharan in Vashi, currently Greater Mumbai’s only 'home' where able-bodied seniors can pay for a graceful retirement. Among the other inmates are other doctors, retired lawyers, Income-Tax officers, armymen, IAS officers, professors, bank managers, pilots and businessmen. And the number of people signing up is burgeoning every year. "In 1997, when the home first opened, we had 19 inmates," said Sharan Administrator N L Nayak. "In the following six years, we had just six more admissions. But last year alone, 33 people signed up." The home now has 63 inmates in its 48 rooms. And for Rs 8,000 a month, anyone over 60 who is of sound mind, not bedridden and with no contagious diseases can get a room with a telephone—though inmates pay their own bills—access to the library, which features books and music, and four vegetarian meals per day. Apparently, it’s a lack of companionship and security that drives most to the home. "Living alone was just too boring," said Ramesh Padhye (83), who also has a flat of his own in Dombivli. "After my daughter decided to move to Canada a few months ago, I just couldn’t stay on. Now, I’ve got friends here and it is better than being home alone." One of Padhye’s new friends is Meera Panvalkar (81), a former Assistant Director in the Directorate of Employment and Training under the Labour Ministry. Panvalkar moved out of her nephew’s Vashi house and into Sharan a year ago. "My nephew and his wife travel a lot and then I would get left alone. It was really lonely and I didn’t think it was safe either," she said. But, apart from safety concerns and loneliness, there's also a sense of purposelessness in living alone. At least according to Dignity Foundation President Dr Sheilu Sreenivasan. And addressing the need for purpose will be the objective of the non-governmental organisation’s retirement township, due for completion in March 2006. "We’re calling it Dignity Lifestyle (DL) and it will focus on community service," said Sreenivasan. India’s first retirement township, DL will be spread over 25 acres in Mangaon, at the foothills of Matheran. "There are 17 villages nearby, with a total population of 5,00,000. The residents of the township will work in these villages, on literacy and healthcare projects, among others," said Sreenivasan. Though the cost per cottage at DL is more prohibitive than Sharan— Rs 6,00,000 to Rs 10,00,000 per cottage and Rs 4,500 to Rs 5,000 per month for housekeeping, food and other services—56 people have already signed up. Two of the takers are Allan Chaterjee (60), a retired pilot, and his wife Shama (57), a homemaker. "I've seen my friends' children turn down jobs abroad because of their aged parents. I don't want my son to be hampered by us," said Allan. "And living alone in the city today is too big a risk. Look at the number of senior-citizen murders every year." "Besides," Allan added, "If I decide to live alone with my wife, it will only be retirement for me. My wife will have to continue to look after the house. At DL, she can retire too."