They are flying home after four decades. Many NRGs, after spending most part of their life in the US, are flying back to Gujarat, to spend their twilight years in their motherland. The return to the motherland is often backed by emotional and spiritual forces and connections that many of them miss abroad.
“Desire to reunite with relatives and renew spiritual connections that I missed during the 42 years I spent at Detroit and Chicago pulled me towards my hometown,” said Ashok Choksi, an NRG. “Now, we want to spend our days peacefully in the company of our relatives and companions of our religious group,” added retired pediatrician Kalpana, Choksi’s spouse.
Adding a cheer factor to their decision is the company of their son Kunal and his family. “Kunal has been born and brought up in the US. However, when we told him that we want to return to India for retirement, to our surprise he said, he would join us,” said Choksi.
Like Choksi, many NRGs are choosing to return to homeland to spend sunset years – “peacefully” – they say. However, most of them are not that lucky to have their children with them.
Ghanshyam Thakkar, a poet and a musician who has recently moved from Texas to Ahmedabad, and resides at a newly-bought apartment in Ambawadi, said, “I have my two sons and a daughter
settled in the US. However, I chose to part with them as I wanted to spend my retirement writing poems and composing melodies in my home town.”
However, an increase in attacks on senior citizens staying alone in the city has forced most of these NRGs to stay at retirement homes. Reflecting this trend is a significant rise in number of retirement homes in the outskirts of Surat, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Kutch, Bhavnagar and Anand.
“There are retirement homes coming up near state’s urban areas where financially independent or parents supported by their children settled abroad have an option to reside,” said Parshu Kakkad, social worker managing old-age homes who confirmed that about seven such retirement homes have been built in the last one year in state.
