Using retirement to finally dig into family history

In the U.S., the average age for retirement is 62, according to a recent survey from the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Vijay and Kirti Desai, however, couldn’t wait to retire earlier.

“We were lucky that we could retire at 55,” said Kirti, who lives in Alpharetta, Georgia with her husband, Vijay.

And while the Desais are still doing all the things retired people do (traveling to baseball stadiums, going on long walks with their dog, and crossing off all 50 states), they are finding new strings to pull at.

“We’re also super busy,” Vijay said. “All of the activities we put on the back burner that we no longer have an excuse not to do.”

For Kirti, that has meant documenting and publishing the history of her late father and renowned Indian sculptor, Narayan Sonvadekar.

“I want to create something for the next generation and the rest of the world to know,” Kirti said. “So I’ve been working with Vijay to create a Wikipedia page for my dad.”

While retirement might be a leisurely time for some, the Desais have good reason to work quickly.

"A lot of the people he worked with are also passing on," Vijay Desai said. "So that gave a sense of urgency for our retirement."

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