June
2nd was my happy birthday.
And
I turned 65.
And
there was precious little to rejoice for me. And the lockdown made that day
even gloomier.
The
last couple of my bank FDs matured a day later.
I
had invested in my FDs at 9.0% and more , when I had just turned into a Senior
Citizen.
And
over the last 2 years I have been renewing my FDs subsequently at lower and
lower interest rates.
And
I was lucky to get 6.25% interest per anum this time ! Now it is 6%!!
So
my income is steadily reduced by 30% !!
And
that is like getting a negative raise of 10% for 3 years in a row.
And
if I were working in a company I would have quit.
But
this is life.
How
can I quit ??
And
my stocks and mutual funds have also taken a big hit.
So,
I am not happy. And was in no great mood to celebrate.
The
wise had once said
If
life hands you a lemon,
Make
yourself a lemonade!!
Manta
hoon, mere bhai.
Par
shikhanji bananey ke liye thodi toh cheeni milni chahiye na??
(Agree
bro. But to make a lemonade you need a bit of sugar at least ??)
Cruising
past 65, with no new income to depend on – except the FD interests and some SWPs
(systematic withdrawal plans) and a few rentals, I do get jittery and anxious
about the future many times.
And
the steady rise in expenses, the ever-growing medical bills and insurances and
the inflation rate do not help me manage my anxiety any better. And I cannot
deny a decent raise in salary to my driver, maid, cook and other helpers. Nor
their yearly Diwali bonus.
Rising
from a middle-class family (like many of us),
I
was brought up in two small towns of Vellore in south and Dehra Dun, up north –
not the ideal pin codes that can offer one with boundless opportunities and great
career breaks.
And
sadly, I have not been born with any special talents nor a fraction of any
genius hereditary genes.
And
with no overpowering ambition (meaning fire in the belly) to strike it big
& become a ‘Slumdog millionaire’
My
life has tracked a slow and steady organic growth. A continuous struggle, a survival
game and a constant challenge trudging up the slow ramp of life.
And
I am sometime so surprised that I have made it this far and have reached here!
Slow
and steady has definitely kept me in the race and in the reckoning (not sure if
I could call it a winning)
And
I made it with a lot of sweat and some timely luck as well.
Chasing
targets, meeting budgets, managing irate customers,
On
the roads and in the air, overnights in airport lounges, taking red-eye flights
Firefighting
most times, midnight concalls and skipping breakfast / lunch.
Hanging
on desperately surviving quarter after quarter. Fighting tooth and nail to
protect each team member from getting the axe when the VPs and HRs come out
with their WFR (work force reduction) initiatives
Pleading
with channel partners and retailers to stock up a little more
Dog
fights with competition in the open market
And
more and more.
And
i have done everything that has been written in the book Marketing Warfare by Al
Ries & Jack Trout who quote from the book ‘On War’ by the Prussian General
von Clausewitz.
Yes,
marketing and warfare are so much similar.
And
then I retired to hang up my boots, pull out my easy chair and sit down to enjoy
the sunset.
The
time I have spent in Sobha Palladian have been wonderful so far. I have no
complaints – except for the occasional dog poop on green grass.
And
when I start to experience and relish the Achhey Din, the Corona times lands me
a whopper!
I
am concerned at the uncertainties. My well laid out retirement plan is rocked.
But
I can survive.
And
I am thankful that I was born a decade earlier..
And
I am glad I no longer must worry about my keeping my job.
All
my loans and mortgages are paid up
My
children are on their own – I do not need to worry about their higher education.
And
no tension either to get my daughter married
And
some more …
And
one can always complain “where are those Acheey Din”??
And
you will never appreciate the fact that these are the Achhey Dins !!
And
the only way you will ever realize it will be ten years from now.
When
you will fondly recall those good old times (Achhey Dins) ten years back !!
Krish..