For these superagers, 80 is the new 25
At an age when most people put their feet up, these seniors are still at work, and have a routine that would put many millennials to shame
A dozen lit fests a year and, boy, does he pull crowds
Prachi Raturi Misra | TNN 11.03.2018
It isn’t unusual to bump into the much-loved and prolific author Ruskin Bond on a walk in Landour, observing a wildflower or gazing at the snow-clad mountains. Bond has always loved to walk around the hill town, though his growing popularity has meant his walks in Mussoorie have become infrequent.
The 83-year-old writer may not take rambling treks anymore but he is still active. Last year, he attended a dozen literature festivals in various parts of the country and released five books. Not only has he become a frequent flier, he walks around Delhi airport’s massive Terminal 3 without help. His grandson Rakesh pipes up to say Bond makes his own bed every morning.
And no fad diets for him. “I am not a fussy eater at all. But yes, I love good food,” he chuckles. His favourite breakfast is fried eggs and buttered toast. Lunch and dinner are the usual — dal and rice, chapatti and sabzi. On special days he has chocolate cake, pulao and mutton curry, and fish and chips when he’s out at a restaurant.
Bond, who was first published more than 65 years ago, still writes something every day. “I am still working pretty hard because I feel there is so much I could still write, and write better than I did in the past because there is always scope for improvement,” he says.
Does he feel ancient? “Not really. If you are reasonably healthy, it doesn’t matter how old you are. Age for me is all in the mind. I don’t feel any different,” he says.
Rocking the stage, from eight to eighty
VYJAYANTIMALA BALI, 83, CLASSICAL DANCER
Priya.Menon@timesgroup.com
She’s dominated the silver screen and graced the stage. But at 83, veteran actor and danseuse Vyjayantimala Bali has rediscovered the joys of a longforgotten passion — golf.
“My husband had introduced me to the sport; we used to play often in Mumbai and Delhi. I have resumed after many years, thanks to my friends,” says Bali, who has always loved sports. “I played table tennis and badminton, and got certificates for horse riding.”
With her balanced diet, disciplined lifestyle, passion for dance and love of sports, it’s little wonder that ‘Twinkle Toes’ has remained lithe and agile. Dancer, teacher, researcher and performer, she dons all these hats with ease.
“My Bharatanatyam keeps me going. People ask me how I still sit and take intricate positions when they can’t even bend their knees, but when I dance, somebody else takes over. I leave everything to my matha,” says Bali, an ardent devotee of Alvar saint Andal.
She gives two or three performances a year, the latest being one for Bharat Kalachar in Chennai last month, where she shared the stage with her six-year-old granddaughter Svara and a few of her students. “Performing during the December music and dance season is a must,” she says.
Though she doesn’t practise every day, she has picked a few girls to teach. “They are talented and I want them to continue my style of dance,” says Bali, who teaches thrice a week.
The rest of the time she devotes to research. “I am trying to revive rare, forgotten dance forms performed in the old temples of Thanjavur,” she says.
Her active lifestyle is complemented by a simple, vegetarian diet. “I eat light, normal south Indian food, and not too much rice,” says Bali, whose breakfast consists of oats, some dry fruits and tea. “Luckily, I don’t have a sweet tooth though I have chocolates once in a while,” she says.
There are times when her son requests her to take it easy but Bali is not one to give up. “He asks me to go slow as I have been dancing from the age of 8 to 80. Though I have cut down on performances, the passion is still there,” she says. “And I can judge how much to do or how far to go.”
Retirement? No way, it will just be a role change, says 75-year-old
ASHOK SOOTA, 75, SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR
Ranjani.Ayyar@timesgroup.com
Serial entrepreneur Ashok Soota hates the term ‘work-life balance’. “It implies that work is not life,” says the 75-year-old doyen of the information technology world.
The challenges that crop up with changing technologies keep Soota excited. “There is big data, analytics, AI, IoT... This year, we are examining two new areas, one of which is blockchain. Making decisions in a tougher market keeps me on my toes,” he says.
After working in Wipro for 15 years, Soota set up IT consulting firm Mindtree with nine others in 1999 at the age of 57. He led the company through successful public listings on NSE and BSE before stepping down as chairman in 2011. For those who thought he was heading towards retirement, Soota had a surprise. At 69, he started Happiest Minds, a next-gen IT services company, which he aims to take public in the next few years.
Soota starts his day by 6am. A good — or bad — habit he says he has is to check email as soon as he wakes up and just before he goes to bed around 11pm. “The world has become a smaller place. You reply to an email at night and it’s most likely you will have a response by morning. This cuts time spent on decisionmaking and action,” he says.
He says staying fit is key to ageing well, and spends a large part of the morning on yoga, tai chi, walking and swimming. After reading the newspapers, he logs in at 9.30am to track the stock market.
An avid traveller, Soota often takes vacations with his family. “I love to go to places nearby, like Maldives or Kerala. This year, I am going paragliding with some of my batchmates,” he says.
He spends over 60 hours a week reading and writing. His book ‘Entrepreneurship Simplified – From Idea to IPO’ was published in 2016, and he’s now mulling another. He’s also started a nonprofit, Ashirvadam, which focuses on issues relating to the environment and the underserved.
Does he plan to retire? “My responsibility is to have a succession plan. Eventually, I will change my role but that won’t constitute retirement,” he says.
He’s still got a mission to accomplish
RAM JETHMALANI, 94, LAWYER & POLITICIAN
Shalini.Umachandran@timesgroup.com
Ram Jethmalani is an angry man.The 94-year-old says he has one mission to which he’s dedicating “whatever time I have left — to get rid of Mr Modi”.
Jethmalani, who spent more than 75 years at the bar, was one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strongest supporters four years ago. “I thought he was different. I was wrong. Hard as it is to accept that, I have,” he says.
Jethmalani, who has served as law minister and urban development minister, says he’s lucky to have been at the bar for so long. “I was one of the busiest lawyers in the country,” he says. “It is my profession that kept me going. I always wanted to do something good. I think I have,” he says.
Jethmalani stopped appearing in court from September 2017, though he says senior lawyers come to his office every day to convince him to don the robes again. “At the age of 94, I cannot possibly deal with litigation in court on behalf of paying clients, and my political views and mission require more time now,” he says.
Questions on his plans to accomplish this mission are met with a mischievous cackle: “You want me to tell you my whole strategy? What kind of a lawyer would I be if I did?”
He doesn’t rule returning out to the bar: “If there is a huge public interest litigation, I will be back in court,”
he says. “I am a rebel. That’s why I fought so long.”
Jethmalani is up early every day and finishes a light breakfast by 8am before getting into the office behind his house to read, do research, and meet visitors. When Parliament is in session, he heads to the House. Lunch is at 11.30am, and he has a drink before dinner at 7.30pm.
He’s careful about his diet and exercise. “I get on the treadmill and walk till I burn a minimum of 105 calories a day,” he says. He loves badminton and played every evening till a few months ago. His friends come daily and he watches them play at the court in his Lutyens Delhi bungalow. “Today, they made me promise that I’d play with them next Friday, let’s see,” he says.
ELITE ELDERS AND THEIR SECRETS
Superagers have always intrigued scientists who want to understand why certain folks live beyond 80 yet have memory and attention that isn’t just above average for their age, but on par with healthy 25-year-olds. Research shows that superagers — a term coined by American neurologist Marsel Mesulam — lose their brain volume at a much slower rate, and that their cortex, or the outer layer of grey matter, is thicker. Scientists have known for a while that superagers appear more resilient and more extroverted, but they’ve recently made another discovery. A Northwestern University team that’s been studying superagers says these active agers have more Von Economo neurons — brain cells thought to increase communication — than average elderly individuals.
RUSKIN BOND, 83, AUTHOR
At an age when most people put their feet up, these seniors are still at work, and have a routine that would put many millennials to shame
A dozen lit fests a year and, boy, does he pull crowds
Prachi Raturi Misra | TNN 11.03.2018
It isn’t unusual to bump into the much-loved and prolific author Ruskin Bond on a walk in Landour, observing a wildflower or gazing at the snow-clad mountains. Bond has always loved to walk around the hill town, though his growing popularity has meant his walks in Mussoorie have become infrequent.
The 83-year-old writer may not take rambling treks anymore but he is still active. Last year, he attended a dozen literature festivals in various parts of the country and released five books. Not only has he become a frequent flier, he walks around Delhi airport’s massive Terminal 3 without help. His grandson Rakesh pipes up to say Bond makes his own bed every morning.
And no fad diets for him. “I am not a fussy eater at all. But yes, I love good food,” he chuckles. His favourite breakfast is fried eggs and buttered toast. Lunch and dinner are the usual — dal and rice, chapatti and sabzi. On special days he has chocolate cake, pulao and mutton curry, and fish and chips when he’s out at a restaurant.
Bond, who was first published more than 65 years ago, still writes something every day. “I am still working pretty hard because I feel there is so much I could still write, and write better than I did in the past because there is always scope for improvement,” he says.
Does he feel ancient? “Not really. If you are reasonably healthy, it doesn’t matter how old you are. Age for me is all in the mind. I don’t feel any different,” he says.
Rocking the stage, from eight to eighty
VYJAYANTIMALA BALI, 83, CLASSICAL DANCER
Priya.Menon@timesgroup.com
She’s dominated the silver screen and graced the stage. But at 83, veteran actor and danseuse Vyjayantimala Bali has rediscovered the joys of a longforgotten passion — golf.
“My husband had introduced me to the sport; we used to play often in Mumbai and Delhi. I have resumed after many years, thanks to my friends,” says Bali, who has always loved sports. “I played table tennis and badminton, and got certificates for horse riding.”
With her balanced diet, disciplined lifestyle, passion for dance and love of sports, it’s little wonder that ‘Twinkle Toes’ has remained lithe and agile. Dancer, teacher, researcher and performer, she dons all these hats with ease.
“My Bharatanatyam keeps me going. People ask me how I still sit and take intricate positions when they can’t even bend their knees, but when I dance, somebody else takes over. I leave everything to my matha,” says Bali, an ardent devotee of Alvar saint Andal.
She gives two or three performances a year, the latest being one for Bharat Kalachar in Chennai last month, where she shared the stage with her six-year-old granddaughter Svara and a few of her students. “Performing during the December music and dance season is a must,” she says.
Though she doesn’t practise every day, she has picked a few girls to teach. “They are talented and I want them to continue my style of dance,” says Bali, who teaches thrice a week.
The rest of the time she devotes to research. “I am trying to revive rare, forgotten dance forms performed in the old temples of Thanjavur,” she says.
Her active lifestyle is complemented by a simple, vegetarian diet. “I eat light, normal south Indian food, and not too much rice,” says Bali, whose breakfast consists of oats, some dry fruits and tea. “Luckily, I don’t have a sweet tooth though I have chocolates once in a while,” she says.
There are times when her son requests her to take it easy but Bali is not one to give up. “He asks me to go slow as I have been dancing from the age of 8 to 80. Though I have cut down on performances, the passion is still there,” she says. “And I can judge how much to do or how far to go.”
Retirement? No way, it will just be a role change, says 75-year-old
ASHOK SOOTA, 75, SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR
Ranjani.Ayyar@timesgroup.com
Serial entrepreneur Ashok Soota hates the term ‘work-life balance’. “It implies that work is not life,” says the 75-year-old doyen of the information technology world.
The challenges that crop up with changing technologies keep Soota excited. “There is big data, analytics, AI, IoT... This year, we are examining two new areas, one of which is blockchain. Making decisions in a tougher market keeps me on my toes,” he says.
After working in Wipro for 15 years, Soota set up IT consulting firm Mindtree with nine others in 1999 at the age of 57. He led the company through successful public listings on NSE and BSE before stepping down as chairman in 2011. For those who thought he was heading towards retirement, Soota had a surprise. At 69, he started Happiest Minds, a next-gen IT services company, which he aims to take public in the next few years.
Soota starts his day by 6am. A good — or bad — habit he says he has is to check email as soon as he wakes up and just before he goes to bed around 11pm. “The world has become a smaller place. You reply to an email at night and it’s most likely you will have a response by morning. This cuts time spent on decisionmaking and action,” he says.
He says staying fit is key to ageing well, and spends a large part of the morning on yoga, tai chi, walking and swimming. After reading the newspapers, he logs in at 9.30am to track the stock market.
An avid traveller, Soota often takes vacations with his family. “I love to go to places nearby, like Maldives or Kerala. This year, I am going paragliding with some of my batchmates,” he says.
He spends over 60 hours a week reading and writing. His book ‘Entrepreneurship Simplified – From Idea to IPO’ was published in 2016, and he’s now mulling another. He’s also started a nonprofit, Ashirvadam, which focuses on issues relating to the environment and the underserved.
Does he plan to retire? “My responsibility is to have a succession plan. Eventually, I will change my role but that won’t constitute retirement,” he says.
He’s still got a mission to accomplish
RAM JETHMALANI, 94, LAWYER & POLITICIAN
Shalini.Umachandran@timesgroup.com
Ram Jethmalani is an angry man.The 94-year-old says he has one mission to which he’s dedicating “whatever time I have left — to get rid of Mr Modi”.
Jethmalani, who spent more than 75 years at the bar, was one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strongest supporters four years ago. “I thought he was different. I was wrong. Hard as it is to accept that, I have,” he says.
Jethmalani, who has served as law minister and urban development minister, says he’s lucky to have been at the bar for so long. “I was one of the busiest lawyers in the country,” he says. “It is my profession that kept me going. I always wanted to do something good. I think I have,” he says.
Jethmalani stopped appearing in court from September 2017, though he says senior lawyers come to his office every day to convince him to don the robes again. “At the age of 94, I cannot possibly deal with litigation in court on behalf of paying clients, and my political views and mission require more time now,” he says.
Questions on his plans to accomplish this mission are met with a mischievous cackle: “You want me to tell you my whole strategy? What kind of a lawyer would I be if I did?”
He doesn’t rule returning out to the bar: “If there is a huge public interest litigation, I will be back in court,”
he says. “I am a rebel. That’s why I fought so long.”
Jethmalani is up early every day and finishes a light breakfast by 8am before getting into the office behind his house to read, do research, and meet visitors. When Parliament is in session, he heads to the House. Lunch is at 11.30am, and he has a drink before dinner at 7.30pm.
He’s careful about his diet and exercise. “I get on the treadmill and walk till I burn a minimum of 105 calories a day,” he says. He loves badminton and played every evening till a few months ago. His friends come daily and he watches them play at the court in his Lutyens Delhi bungalow. “Today, they made me promise that I’d play with them next Friday, let’s see,” he says.
ELITE ELDERS AND THEIR SECRETS
Superagers have always intrigued scientists who want to understand why certain folks live beyond 80 yet have memory and attention that isn’t just above average for their age, but on par with healthy 25-year-olds. Research shows that superagers — a term coined by American neurologist Marsel Mesulam — lose their brain volume at a much slower rate, and that their cortex, or the outer layer of grey matter, is thicker. Scientists have known for a while that superagers appear more resilient and more extroverted, but they’ve recently made another discovery. A Northwestern University team that’s been studying superagers says these active agers have more Von Economo neurons — brain cells thought to increase communication — than average elderly individuals.
RUSKIN BOND, 83, AUTHOR
