Conquering the seven summits, learning how to farm, collecting gadgets and pursuing arts
Vikas in Thailand
At 31, Vinoth Kumar, a former software employee says he has already retired. With an organic farm of his own in Cheyanur, Vinoth is now an agriculturist and travels more often than most people would, all by himself, with his lucky red backpack in hand. “I retired last year and have been farming since then. I am soon planning a trip from Nepal to Cambodia to learn their agricultural practices and bring them to India,” he says.
Ask him if he thought it was risky to do this at 30? “Not at all. I want to do this, when I’m fit enough to travel. Everyone slogs to save money all their life, and when they’re 60 and retire, they start running to hospitals for their health. Where does one get the time or the strength to live their life or do what they love? This is why, I worked hard for ten years, saved enough money to be able to do what I love,” Vinoth quips.
Imagine if the retirement age is dropped to 40, it gives one two whole decades to pursue what they love — without having to worry about responsibilities. Early retirement being the new buzz has caught the fancy of namma Chennai’s youngsters, who are already planning for life. Right from investing across both traditional and modern investments, insurance premiums, mutual funds and more, youngsters are saving up big time, only to retire early and comfortably.
Saying that life begins at 40, many youngsters have started planning for their retirement in their 20s. Like entrepreneur Pranesh Padmanabhan, Founder, Studio 31, who wants to pursue pottery and other forms of art after age 35. “I have always wanted to build a small cottage at a mountain valley, move there and start learning pottery. I have been planning this for quite some time now. One needs to invest smartly so that you keep getting returns for the next two decades after your retirement. I have even started saving for my kid’s education and other expenses already,” he laughs.
For photographers Ajay Ben and Vikas Alagarsamy, travelling and exploring has given them exposure to several cultures and cuisines. “We love travelling and exploring and we often take off every New Year to explore a new place. Since, we also love food, we are planning on starting a small beach-side restaurant, where we want to try our hand at cooking,” Ajay says.
Saying that, there’s perhaps a very thin line of difference between retiring at 58 and retiring at 60, Ram Babu, a motions graphic designer at Zoho said that 35 is the time for you to start living. “I have always loved my gadgets and I want to keep collecting them, and shoot with them as well. Aerial videography is something I have always been fascinated about. So, I want to take that hobby to do what I love,” he says.
Whereas for Naresh Ponnusamy, a corporate employee, trekking has always been his call. “Trekking or climbing mountains helps me find my inner peace. I want to be able to conquer all the summits, with Mt. Everest being my favourite. I’m keeping fingers crossed it happens very soon indeed,” he shares.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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