When others like him chose to pursue their private passions on attaining superannuation, what M. Ayyappan, former chairman and managing director of HLL Lifecare Ltd., did on stepping down was to do something for persons who had hung up their boots long ago. He chose to set up a care home for the elderly.
“I had always wanted to do this because I have been observing the way the elderly, even those who can afford quality life, were being neglected and left to fend for themselves. What I wanted to do was to have a space where they would feel on their own, with no one treating them with condescension. One day George Thomas, a banker by profession, walked in, and here we are,” says Mr. Ayyappan with Mr. Abraham seated by his side.
‘Celebrate life’, that is the message that their Asha Care Home seeks to communicate to the elderly who walk in for personalised long-term and short-term stay, enjoying facilities such as Ayurvedic spa, gymnasium and dietary food. “This is not about money. I have put all that I had left with me on retirement. If I fail, I will just move on, happy that I tried what I wanted to do,” says Mr. Ayyappan.
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