At a time when growing life expectancy is reshaping what retirement can look like, Malti Jaswal, founder of the Inspiring Seniors Foundation (ISF), is working to help senior citizens remain active, connected and purposeful by putting their experience to use.
The newly established NGO is building intergenerational programmes that enable educated retirees aged 60 and above to teach, mentor and support younger people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. ISF has already engaged more than 700 senior citizens and operates as a pan-India organisation through online and offline programmes. Its initiatives range from education and mentoring to healthy ageing, recreation, financial literacy, technology, legal rights and advocacy.
Turning Experience into a Second Chapter
Jaswal believes retirement should not mean the end of an individual’s contribution to society. With many people potentially living for another 20 to 30 years after retirement, ISF sees seniors as a largely untapped source of knowledge and experience.
Its Inspiring Tutors and Mentors programmes aim to turn that experience into meaningful engagement. Seniors can teach core subjects such as English, science and mathematics to underprivileged children, while others mentor young adults preparing for competitive examinations, entering the workforce or pursuing professional qualifications.
The model is designed to benefit both generations: young people gain access to knowledge and guidance, while seniors develop new relationships and regain a sense of purpose. Jaswal said seniors who become tutors experience “great joy” when they see the progress of the children they teach. Some participants, she added, look forward to their classes so eagerly that when a session is cancelled, they feel that something essential is missing from their lives.
A Pan-India Network Built
ISF’s approach extends beyond tutoring. The foundation aims to create a wider ecosystem where seniors can remain physically, mentally and socially engaged. Its programmes address everyday aspects of healthy ageing, lifelong learning and social recreation, alongside practical areas such as technology, financial literacy and legal rights.
Although the organisation is still in its early stages, more than 700 seniors have already participated, with that number continuing to grow as its outreach expands. Its online programmes allow the foundation to reach people across India, including participants from Kerala, Gujarat, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Punjab and Mumbai. One example captures the organisation’s emphasis on learning at every age: a 75-year-old man teaching mathematics initially wondered how he could conduct lessons without a blackboard.
After learning to use Google Meet and a digital whiteboard, he was able to confidently continue teaching online. Jaswal said the programme has also produced encouraging results among students, with their performance improving significantly during the first semester after its launch.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The story of Inspiring Seniors Foundation challenges the idea that ageing should be defined by withdrawal from society. Retirement can also become a new beginning, one where experience is shared, relationships are rebuilt and generations learn from one another.
By creating spaces where seniors can contribute while continuing to learn themselves, initiatives like ISF show how communities can move beyond treating older people simply as recipients of care and instead recognise them as active participants in social change.
At the same time, connecting seniors with younger people creates opportunities for empathy, understanding and mutual respect across generations.
As India’s population ages, could creating more opportunities for seniors to share their knowledge become an important way of building stronger, more connected communities?
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