RETIREMENT is inevitable. It is as sure as death. Every employee has to retire after serving up to a certain period of time, normally after attaining the age of superannuation.
Retirement may be premature or compulsory, depending on the circumstances. Forced or compulsory retirement is not very uncommon in government services, particularly in our country where political liking and disliking plays a decisive role.
Voluntary retirement is another type of retirement which depends upon the choice of an employee. Some employees accept retirement as their fate while others take it half-heartedly. The weathercocks, particularly in our bureaucracy, have an enviable capability to adapt themselves according to changing political weather conditions. Interestingly, a few of them are nosy enough to smell the coming change. This scribe has a personal experience of watching such wizards from very close, and finding them far more successful than their counterparts.
The post-retirement period turns out to be a blessing for the ones who made hay while the sun shone. They spend their free time by enjoying life. Being affluent, their families also have no problems. In fact, the whole family enjoys VIP status. Then, there are the lucky ones who have been in the power-corridors, carrying immense influence. For them, the post-retirement period offers lucrative and prestigious assignments as diplomats, members of commissions, heads of public corporations or advisors in both public and private sectors. However, the hard nuts who believe in earning honest livelihood and who always follow principles and procedures, never compromising their integrity, have to pay a heavy penalty after retirement.
These poor fellows have to search for whatever jobs they may find to keep the wolf away from their doors. Such poor fellows mostly retire unwept and unsung. The retirees of average income groups suffer from the worst after-effects if addicted to fair play, honesty and the likes. They are left with nothing for a rainy day. If they have young children or daughters, their condition can be most miserable. Their friends start turning away from them and even well-off brothers and sisters shy away. Eventually, they fall victim to what may be called ‘virtual social boycott’. Family problems turn their life into a living hell. Those unable to cope up with such odds may be forced to commit suicide. Others fall ill, making their life more miserable.
Retirement may be either a blessing or a curse, depending on the nature of the job and the manner in which the employee has served. A piece of advice for those who have been in active service for a long period: If you belong to a low or average income group and wish to earn livelihood by fair means, you should add to the income by utilizing spare time, make safe and proper investments and avoid wasteful expenditure. This golden rule, if followed religiously, would save you to a great extent from post-retirement problems and hardships.
RETIREMENT is inevitable. It is as sure as death. Every employee has to retire after serving up to a certain period of time, normally after attaining the age of superannuation.
