‘Anatomy of Retirement’ – a Friend’s Predicament!

Last week I went to my friend Prakash’s house on a courtesy call. His house was a posh 3 bedroom official quarters in an upmarket neighborhood in Banjara Hills. The couple warmly welcomed me and his wife treated me to a bowlful of hot crispy ‘kaaju pakoras’ along with aromatic Darjeeling tea. Despite the presence of heart-warming pakoras, I found him to be a bit off-color. 

I was concerned and asked him whether any issue was bugging him. After a pregnant pause, Prakash sighed and with drooping shoulders, slouched into the cushy sofa. His voice seemed to have choked and with a lot of effort he said “The dreaded 31^st is round the corner…and I am having sleepless nights…don’t know what to do!” 

The message was very cryptic and I couldn't think of anything calamitous looming large on the world that could make him so week-kneed! Even the Mayan Calendar doomsday passed off long ago! I don’t think even the Americans are considering any nuke attack on Iraq, nor even Israel on Gaza! Forget about the distant lands; Modiji is also strongly pitching for a friendly sub-continent. Yes. Ebola is there! But is still shores away and it definitely doesn't seem to have a rendezvous with us on the month-end.

“Prakash, I don’t get what you say. I checked out on all possible threats to mankind, but I don’t seem to get at what is getting you down so badly!”

Prakash sank further into the sofa and said with a quivering voice “End of the Days! I have nowhere to go” he almost whispered. 

“Are you talking about the Hollywood movie? What has it got to do with you? For heaven’s sake can you elaborate?” I asked him completely puzzled. 

Prakash pulled himself up a little and said “nothing of that sort! If I say I will be retiring on 31^st does that mean anything to you? It’s weighing me down completely”

“Oh! Now I got it Prakash!  You see everyone in service superannuates one day! It’s the immutable law of any land. But do you think it’s such a catastrophic event in one’s life so that it makes one sink into that sofa so uncomfortably?” I queried in a half-mocking tone.

Prakash pulled himself out of the sofa completely and said “you don’t get it all; because you never retired; but quit of your own free volition. One has to retire to understand its socioeconomic, familial and psychological hangovers!” He was visibly agitated.

This made me a little concerned about Prakash but also made me curious to know about this multi-pronged complexity. I wanted to get to the bottom of this and asked him “Point taken. Could you now explain to me the complex anatomy of this animal called ‘Retirement’?”

Prakash picked up a medium sized pakora from his plate, turned it around 360 degrees with his finger, evaluated it for its oil content, wrapped it in a tissue paper and squeezed the pakora a couple of times like a seasoned oil expeller. When he un-wrapped the paper I found almost a lifeless dead pakora which he promptly put in his mouth with a satisfactory nod. 

(To be continued)