IN PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

We spoke to retired individuals who’ve broken the boundaries and are an inspiration to others approaching their senior years

- Versha Jain

Suniel Gupta

Age: 62, Mumbai

He works as a business development consultant in an NGO in his second innings, having previously worked as a sales and training personnnel in a pharma company

Guide To Persistence

At 62, Mumbai-based Suniel Gupta doesn’t want to stop working. He works six hours a day and feels content with the contribution that he is making. He works as a business development consultant in a non-governmental organisation (NGO) during weekdays, and offers online coaching sessions on the weekend. He is primarily into training people in communication skills and personality development.

What makes him happy about his profile is that he is doing what he likes at his own pace. “I am not chasing a particular career goal, so there is no stress. Sometimes, there is stress, but it is only task-related,” says Gupta.

The other part is that having a regular income eases him out.

“There could be times when suddenly some big expense comes along and you will have to dig into your savings. So, once you have a some sort of regular income, it provides ease. That is how I look at it. I can’t say I don’t need money, but how much is the question. That’s an individual choice,” he says.

Early Retirement

Gupta retired early, when he was in his early 50s, after working with a pharmaceutical company for around three decades. In that period, he gained diverse experience in the fields of sales and sales training.

He later became a trainer when he was handpicked for the job because of his quality of helping others out. It proved to be a turning point in his life. Initially, he was sceptical, but later excelled in both sales and training, and the latter became his calling in retirement, too.