LIFE|LIFE LESSONS
The Unexpected Glorious Second Innings Of My Life
The re-entry to my profession was the most wonderful time of my life

My first innings are over
In 2014, I was retired as per the Delhi University( India) rules. I felt low, awful, and hopeless to think of spending my time alone at home with nothing to do. Shadows kept crossing my mind that I would be bored stiff.
I was very active. I loved to meet people and socialize. Teaching, research, and mentoring students at the university level was my passion. I loved to organize programs and I was very popular too. What would I do now I thought?
Anyway, my thoughts flitted here and there and I started looking for openings of jobs at the higher education level having taught only undergraduate and post-graduate students.
My friend offered to take me for a holiday to Simla as she had an apartment over there. That was such wonderful support.
We reached Simla. The freshness of the hill air itself was intoxicating and I felt refreshed and ready to think about my new and future plans in my life.
In the evening my friend had invited a bunch of friends from the university for tea. Many of them were common friends but some of them were those she knew. A big cake was cut celebrating my work life in the corporate, as an entrepreneur, and as a university professor.
Everybody thought that I had a colorful life that I had enjoyed to the hilt. Some even joked that I did not look retired to them.
Having a slim body I was agile and maybe looked younger than my age or so they said. I was also known for my style and friendliness and much of this was toasted to my future good health and good living.
My decision and resolve for the future
I was not one to cry over spilled milk. I immediately decided to apply for a professor’s position in one of the private universities where I could work for few more years as the regulation there was different.
I applied after finding the newspaper advertisements for the same and immediately from Simla itself I applied. I applied to three management institutes.
Two of them had already selected me and the next day I was invited to the third institute for a personal chat with the Chairman of the organization.
He met me and the reaction was that when he saw me he stood up from the chair and sat again. I looked at him and said, “Is there anything wrong with me”?
“No, I am shocked to see you, I expected to see an old lady but here you are so smart and absolutely fitting my management institute, please join me”.
This was both a shock and surprise for me. I was equally baffled as I had never seen such a young chairman of an institution. Most management institutes had much older chairperson at the helm of affairs.
I took his offer and went home. I told my family I am not joining this institute. This is small and the previous one where I went for an interview was big and very beautiful. Moreover, they had offered me a holiday on Saturdays from work whereas the present one had Saturdays that were working as all their programs and meetings were held on Saturdays.
I wrote an email and told the Chairman that I was not interested in the job because I did not want to work on a Saturday. I usually kept that free as an academic preparation day and also relaxed and went out with friends. He agreed that I could take Saturdays off and if in case he called me I would get another day in the week off as a compensatory off.
I bargained for a Saturday Off. I had it my way. I was pleased and I joined the institute.
My glorious second innings and reentry to professional life
Life was not as easy as I expected it to be. The chairman was impressed with me but gave me very difficult tasks.
- Department head: First of all, I was called and told that I would be the head of the international business management department. I had no idea what my responsibilities meant.
- Managing editor of research publication: A week later, I was called for a meeting with the chairman and the director-general. I was handed over their journal. It was dwindling with very few subscriptions and few readers. My task was to make it research-oriented and prestigious with good-quality papers.
- Head of research: The director-general summoned me again after another week and said that the chairman desires that I take over the research of the faculty members and see that quality work is produced and records are maintained.
- Organization of national and international seminars and conferences: Another task was to be in the core committee to organize four national seminars and one international conference in the year.
- Teaching: I was given 12 teaching hours per week to the management students.
These were some of the basic jobs given to me. Believe me, it was difficult but not impossible. Little known to them, I loved these tasks and made improvements and changes, and did many international and national collaborations too.
Nobody considered my seniority in age. They kept piling work on me and I kept clearing it. A lot of things I did not understand. I actually took tuition from friends and online to be as good as others.
I slogged, I worked and I challenged myself as I had to be successful. This was the lessons that I learned in my life.
I brought so many changes and new developments that they were all surprised that I could do it all with ease.
I was always at the forefront of all the programs meeting many people nationally and internationally. I was the center of attraction and got a lot of mileage. The journal was so successful that it became indexed in the University Grants Commission and got many prestigious labels.
I also got the employee of the month for collaborations and many such programs.
I worked there for a little over 6 years and each day was fulfilling and glorious for me. The chairman called me the youngest and most energetic member of his team.



Last year due to Covid-19 I left the job and now this year I have again been invited to take classes as a visiting faculty. Now they have given me a program to organize with one of the Delhi University colleges.
This is a third time reentry.
The takeaways
- Take up challenges: Never give up challenges in life will come but if you are determined to succeed you will manage to do so.
- Retire when you want to: Do not worry about legal formalities, opportunities will keep coming in some form or the other. Do not leave them. Retire only when you want to. Some people can retire early if they want to and others who can work should continue to do so.
- Difficult reentry: Reentry is difficult and challenging. When you are working with people half your age and they know a lot in IT which you are not trained in you know your limitation. People do not consider your age. They look at your metal. Can you do this or not?
- Be ready to learn and take up impossible tasks: Reentry is difficult if you are not willing to take up tasks or are not willing to learn. Continue to learn all your life. If you are stagnant you are finished. So you have to be relevant always.
To conclude:
My life has been colorful and still is colorful. My reentry has been dramatic. I had to learn and relearn and learn many new things in life but I did not give in.I worked hard and enjoyed every bit of my life.
I was patient, smiling, and happy always which has made it very easy for me to take up the challenges of reentry in the professional field of my life.
For me, life has never been dull, stagnant or boring so far. I love nature and people and enjoy every moment.
My motto is live, love, and laugh! Each day is special.
©Dr. Preeti Singh, 2021.