Watch: Has She Made a Wise Choice Retiring in India After 42 Years in the UK?

3:25 Association of accounting technician which is aat and then I started Ed working in accounts Department okay so from different departments I my last few years in British Telecom was in in accounting and then they offered voluntary redundancy and I took that you know opportunity and left a b and then after a week I had like six months temporary job in association of Commonwealth University after that well all different places I worked then I worked in a metropolitan Building Society for 6 years then I left that job and worked in all different places temping in some places then I got another temp permanent job work for three years and then I left that job and then my last job was for two years in in a something I can't remember the name

4:27 Yes Metropolitan Housing got so that is my working life yeah and then I think about 2010 or something I stopped working yeah I think so maybe later I can't remember that's my working life wow working like from 199 1977 till 2003 I know long duration and I'm really curious about how the life was for a Indian in UK in 1970s you know especially you know there's not lot of migration immigration there so just curious about the life there and what you have seen in the years as you know people started coming more to UK and England and so on so just curious on that yes what I can tell you abinas those days UK and I actually stayed all my time in London because you know and it was so different and we never had any problem we really enjoyed

5:30 I just I was so happy to go to work and those days where you know the my colleagues they were really nice and they always whenever I said to them oh I'm going home I'm going to India they used to say this is your home they so sweet and they used to take me out and and then well and all our neighbors were very very very I mean lucky to have good neighbors the last last house yeah we stayed for 33 years before that we stayed both one house just after one and a half year and moved from that house to another house stayed in that house for five years and our last house we had we lived there for about 33 years wow so luckily we always had very nice helpful neighbors so I can't really complain about my life in London because the

6:31 Thing is I was very very extremely homesick and I used to come almost every year to India to my mom and my dad was not well and my dad and then well then my dad passed away my mother passed away and unfortunately after my younger sister she was looking forward for us to come back and within two years I lost my youngest sister after just after one year and the next year within two years I lost my beloved husband and so

7:03 Yeah got it so I think just curious like you know the life has been good in UK you know with you know awesome neighbors a good community and all that stuff sounds like I think you after retiring sometime in 2003 you have lived in UK for some time right you know till 2018 since since you made the move to India and maybe 2010 don't remember yeah 2010 when you stopped working or you took the retirement okay understood so just curious like why the move to India in 2018 what made you to move to India and why 2018 right funny enough I always wanted to come back from day one I was so homick and my husband he was a type of person he was very quiet and he didn't say anything yes or no because he knew

8:04 It was just a temporary tantrum every time I'll go and something happens I'm not very happy at all oh I'm going back to India and he didn't say yes or no nothing but so we just carried on and after my mother passed away I got more settled mentally and because I had because we didn't have any children I had plenty of spare time to do other things and my husband always encouraged me to do and I had lots of hobbies and all that and then all of a sudden one after another my friend's husband our friends passed away and all of a sudden my husband said I want to go back I don't like this cther anymore his I don't know what came into his mind and in 2015 I had need replacement and he was physically he had no problem no pressure no sugar nothing only thing he had bit of neurological

9:04 Problem where he had problem with walking nothing to do with his KN his you know maybe but otherwise he was when he was sitting down no one will know that there is anything wrong only thing is when he was walking he used to get little bit stuck yeah and then that and I had an needy placement I always wanted to come back but all of a sudden he said oh I don't I want to go back because he friend I think after he passed away he was bit you know sad and I don't know what he was thinking about me or what and so we put our house on the market and then I said to him let's go and see what it's like and then I took the house you know from the market and we came to India for year and everything was fine when I went back I was really happy really excited oh I'm coming back I was perfumes on the flight and this and that

10:02 I was so happy then we put the house back on the market again and sold the house and we came back got it so is that friend that you referring to was that friend located in UK you know who passed okay my friend her husband passed away and we are very close to them my friend and all my friends are still there nobody came back I have come back got it understood but I think that was one of the triggering point for your husband to think maybe maybe maybe not that's what I just assuming okay because he didn't tell me that yeah so understood so I think in 2018 you have decided to move back to India so how did you choose where you want to go to like is it something where you born and grown grown up or how did you decide where you want to settle in India right I was actually born in Kolkata but because of my dad's job we moveed to Assam you know Assam North

11:02 So now I in living in Kolkata but I don't know much about Kolkata anyway but we bought our flat in 2000 got it and we thought we we didn't think about coming back but because we are coming more often and especially after retirement you know we had more time we could come for longer you know two months three months like that so 2000 and then well we were there after I came back and because it was near his sisters that's why and I don't know anywhere else I don't even know Kolkata that much but because I hardly stayed in Kolkata I used to come and go straight to my mother and from two three days in

11:46 Kolkata and go back like that so because we had the plat and that was naturally we came back to Kolkata makes sense so you came to Kolkata I think you know some of the family members are are there and so on and you have a place to live yeah so how was the move like in terms of like you know settling in in India you know living for good for someone who has lived for more than 40 years 42 years abroad it would have been a change right I mean it's so much more systemized it's much more process oriented you know very structured environment to a little bit of a different environment in India so just curious how was the transition or how was the life in you know in the during the move back to India well although we lived for so long abroad but we always came to India so it's not that we didn't come for three years four years we came almost every year and and you got to get used

12:49 To and lots of things will what to say we didn't have much problem really because it was just easy I I never had any struggle before I went there and after I went there no hardship so coming back was no problem and because you know they are selling a house is not so complicated once the housing agent come and someone comes and you know likes the house and then it's between the solicitors two solicitors of sellers and buyers and I just had to sign and moving was not not hard at all because we had a very good removal people only thing was I was not aware that I thought they will send my stop in Kolkata Port yes but they s my stop in Chennai Port oh okay so and then as I thought it was my fault that it it will take three months

13:51 Actually didn't take that long and that I had a mail from them and I didn't check my mail and so it was bit delayed but then the moving you know so many stuff we brought back nothing not a single thing was damaged yes I wish now I wish I didn't bring so many things back and it's like a b now because you get everything in India so what's the point you know especially I I wouldn't recommend anybody to bring anything electrical like freeze pzza you get everything here and something you buy that if anything goes wrong they W be able to repair that here yes but you know so didn't bring any electrical Goods or anything just but even then I should have you know sent some to char different charities and yeah no problem at all moving was just

14:51 Simple go I think you know you have mentioned earlier I'm really sorry to hear about your husband passed away after 2 years after the move so if you're okay how were you able

15:05 To transition that you know you know after moving to a different country and living you know together right and it's a new place as you mentioned Kolkata is a new place so without your husband how are you able to navigate and how is the life after that yeah right it is will is hard that my husband is no more but because I'm always been an independent person before I went to hon and after so and I I realized that I have to be strong now at the moment I'm living a pound and very nice retirement home you know Senior Living place and that's where I'm living now but I've got someone younger I I hate to use the word me he so home help and so it's more secure here you know so everything is looked after but even in

16:07 The flat nowadays you have like companies like Aran company you can have for you know thorough clean up and all that but at the moment I'm living in this retirement home got it yeah so if you're okay like so is that something that you transitioned from your flat like or your house that you you bought in 2010 after you know this unfortunate incident like you know you wanted to be having some company and some Independence so like that's when you moved into this retirement home like after luckily luckily my flight is not far from where I am okay it's only about 20 minutes Drive okay so the girl you know looks after me I I can go anytime I like and I've Got a Car and Driver her but I hardly go out to be quite honest don't need to go out that much because I do on all my online shopping and you know and so I don't have to go out that where to go and but

17:10 I just go from this place to my my flat time to time and

17:18 So it's only 20 minutes drive from my retirement home got it and just curious about this retirement community that you mentioned not sure like how big it is how is the social active life anything that you can share I think that would be helpful sure I think in the most because I never lived in big city like Delhi Hyderabad or Bombay or Bangalore I've got a neew in Delhi I go there for 15 20 days and I got another nephew in Bangalore I've been to Bangalore there but because my plat is here in Kolkata and all my banks are here so is more convenient for me to stay here and and about the retirement home I think it's it's really really really nice I have got like a little flat don't have to buy it it's all different in different places different states but I

18:19 Think all big cities have retirment homes like this yeah and it's it's quite nice I don't have to worry about cooking or maintenance anything goes wrong you just give a phone call to the office oh see my air conditioning is something's happening and water is coming out and I think they have people staying downstairs you know they have own rooms I'm not sure so you'll just call the office and they will send someone within about 10 minutes got it anything goes wrong and the cleaning if I stayed because I've got lucky to have this girl but in most places it's always a problem sometimes the you know home heal wouldn't come or I'm not very well I'm sick but here that doesn't happen because regularly the rooms are cleaned and the thing is I because I

19:22 Lived there in England for so long I don't usually like to call the girls there are attendance they were doing shift like I think 8 hours 6 to 2 2 to 10 and 10 to 6 in the morning like that but I like to make my own tea but they will the people most people here are single most people are lost their husbands and most of they are like one son and one daughter Liv in America or Australia and they are quite safe living here you know they don't have to if they some of them live their big houses and it's not really safe so many things going on and especially for the elderly people and some people you know men lost their wives coming staying here and there are some couples as well living here and I think they they have they are really enjoying and like in Kolkata yeah

20:22 They are always in music and doing dramas and all that but I just keep my to myself know you never come you never join us I said it's all right I'm okay like that and nobody bothers you you just the door and nobody like will just pop in any time and disturb you if you want to see someone just give a call are you free can I come and I I have come to know gradually I'm coming to know few people like because it's will be nearly three three years I am here okay not constantly sometimes yeah so but they they enjoy they go out to they have picnic and all that people who like that sort of thing will really enjoy their life you know and but I'm okay like this no understood no thanks for sharing that information pardon is there anything

21:17 That you have missed living in UK while living in India yeah I miss I I really really miss London I do about London sometimes I don't know where I am and I miss my friends I miss my colleagues and my especially more than friends I miss my neighbors they were so nice and they were so I do miss London what can you what can you do you know you have to get on with your life and not that I would I have got British passport but it's no point for me to go back there I don't think I will ever go back to England again I got my husb husband's brother he's nearly 90 years old and his wife is an English lady but she's she's really lovely lady we got on so well together but there's no point for me to go there on my own you know yeah okay and I'm not that fit either after knee

22:17 Replacement I didn't do any exercise and all that so I have I don't have problem but I I don't feel that you know confident to go anywhere on my own own like that and it's a long journey and even going to Delhi about 2 hours seems to be quite long for me so when you are alone you know it's no fun going having 10 Years Journey understood definitely yeah is there anything that we haven't covered that you want to mention I think you know for someone who might be considering about retiring in India right after spending close to 30 years 35 years you know when the kids have grown up they're on their own they're thinking of maybe moving back to India is there any advice or anything

23:02 That you would suggest them yeah from my own experience I can say that surely you should have a place of your own you know you don't want to you know land at the airport and end up in someone else no matter how close and how nice they are if you have a place of your own that is very important and you feel good you come and then you open the door you have the Kiki of your own house and that is very important and then to make your life easy you have to have a car you know you can't like people say India is not for the beginners and I say it's not for the beginners and it's not for the Backpackers and it's not for someone going and waiting for auto richer and bargaining well people coming after retirement

24:03 You know hopefully they're not that young and then they should be okay and I have a car but I don't have a permanent driver I've been a nice agent they Supply driver whenever I need yeah and to and then about the banks I have to you know warn people not to have any accounts in any of the I'm sorry to say that any private Banks I have banks in State Bank of India and when I first came my husband was there and some people say that bank is giving more interest and all that now they realize this private banks will always every month end of month they will you know insist on oh can you send some fund how much fund have you got in that bank can you transfer that to our bank and it looks good on us and and that so private banks are you know can make your life miserable and when you

25:03 Come people used to think oh you spend whole day in a bank it's not like that anymore if you come from like you say NRI and you just go in the bank and say I want to see the manager yeah and then you'll go in the manager's in know room and he will sort things out once you sort this out opening the banks and all that and another thing I made a mistake you don't have to transfer your pension I mean I I used to phone and you know write letter so do HSBC Bank from now on can you send my pension to State Bank of India this address you don't have to do any of that just leave your accounts as it is in England that I still have HSBC Bank account and but you get the money out from there time to time and it's only 5 pounds charge okay every time you money yeah so you suggesting to leave the Pension funds in England and then transfer as needed in

26:04 Don't have to anything at all leave it as the pens will go straight in the bank in whatever Bank you have I have HSBC Bank and I take the money out whenever I want it yeah understood no thanks for sharing that so any advice in terms of like you know people should come back to India for retirement or not not just from your experience just on that overall like you know this question about retiring retiring I can I can only speak for myself and everybody's requirements different like my friends they have got the their children I grown up they work all they sacrificed so much for their children and now what I say they are now playing second Innings yeah like now minding their grandchildren M but if they're happy to do that that's fine but some people are not even if they want to come back they can't because they have they are family

27:06 Their children and their grandchildren there anybody anybody has got a good job and young I wouldn't advise anybody to come back leaving their jobs you know but for retired for reti retired people is very relaxing you don't have to worry about anything you don't have to get up in the morning I know a friend of mine she was in her 80s she has passed away and she was living alone in her big house and sometimes she was so hungry she couldn't didn't even have time to do any cooking or anything for her and she passed away you know she will call the ambulance herself there was nobody okay and you know that I don't blame anybody because all my friends are getting old and they can't do anything for anybody even here I don't I don't expect anybody to do anything I'm quite you know I like to help myself and

28:06 You know don't like to bother anybody even the girls I don't hardly call them to do anything for me yeah no very valid points I think you know being independent would always be great but I think you know situations are different for different people and whatever is appropriate for them I think it Mak make sense yeah yeah so thank you very much Miss suata G for taking your time and sharing your insights about your experience about your journey how it has been it's really wonderful talking to you and thanks a lot for taking the time and sharing your story with us today thanks for your time and you take care was nice talking to you