Not Just Living but Thriving Golden Agers

Ever since I joined a start-up, my visits to the mall have become more frequent. Lack of office space means making coffee shops your workplace. Even though I am fond of open markets more than malls, they are a respite in this sweltering heat.

As a keen observer, I often gauge the crowds in those malls. Interestingly, the category that I encounter the most during my mall visits is not Gen Z but senior citizens.

Or maybe I purposely look over Gen Z as the generation that has yet to find its feet in the world.

Coming back to the elders, whether it is a recent phenomenon or something I have noticed now, the number of senior citizens frequenting these shopping arcades has increased. And no, they aren’t just accompanied by their children or grandchildren but spouses and friends.

This has been my striking observation during my visits to shopping malls in the last few months.

It is extremely heartening to see elderly couples, retired friends, and a group of senior citizens enjoying a hearty meal or a steaming cup of joe.

My senior citizen father also falls into that category, and he hangs out with his friends at restaurants occasionally. I may find his choice of eating joints dated, but I am pretty sure my opinion doesn’t matter to the old man or even his friends.

I am also not sure whether this phenomenon has a name yet, but knowingly or unknowingly, these golden agers are teaching us that old age is not just about being confined to your homes but is as much about stepping out and exploring the world. Whether you fit into this new and often overwhelming world driven by technology and AI, there is always a way to create your own safe space.

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Another trend that has picked up and been reported in newspapers is a surge in international travel by senior citizens.

Business daily, the Economic Times, reported that senior citizens in the country are travelling much more than before the pandemic, both within the country and abroad, prompting travel companies such as Thomas Cook to roll out special packages for people over 60.

A friend’s mother, who lost her spouse a few years back, has also joined a women’s only group for travellers. Targeted at women across all age groups, the platform conducts domestic and international tours and is a hit amongst its members. When I asked her about her travel plans, she told me she wanted to go to Antarctica before she got too old.

My father’s friend, who retired after working with a PSU bank for over 30 years, is an active member of a group made by his former colleagues.

That group organizes monthly meet-ups, short staycations and elaborate holidays for its members. The members converge at a designated venue and celebrate festivals and birthdays together.

Their annual holiday calendar always includes one international and two domestic getaways.

It is endearing to see that these senior citizens, who have become globetrotters, probably took their first international flight in their mid to late 50s.

It is also a generation that can proudly proclaim that it has literally “seen” the world.

Second innings, as some of them call it, inspires our generation. Looking at them enjoying a fulfilling life after retirement gives you hope that there is a lot more life left to explore once the responsibilities are over. Once the professional journey slows down and ambitions are satisfied, there is still a lot to look forward to in life.

With their rich experience of life and travel, these golden agers, as I love to call them, have many stories to share with their grandchildren.

My generation grew up on fictional stories told by our grandmothers. Perhaps the next generation will have their grandparents narrate their travel tales from across the world.