Escape of sorts it was for the Carpenters too. British-born Dennis and his fetching Indian wife Gulistan couldn't take the frenetic rhythm of Mumbai life anymore. Their suburban apartment was locked up, yoga instructor Gulistan said goodbye to many of her clients, they paid up for a room at Dignity, and moved in. "I just sat up this morning and saw the sunrise. The mornings here are worth dying for, the air is so free and unpolluted that Dennis is already feeling better," says Gulistan. She travels once a week to keep her work going at a super-speciality hospital in Mumbai but spends five days "almost cut off from civilisation" as she puts it. At times her mobile buzzes and emails drop in to remind her that the Dignity township is not all that removed from civilisation either. She's getting acquainted with other residents, asking about the seven or eight in the Nightingale cottage—a specially built block that houses ailing seniors, particularly those with Alzheimer's cared for by trained nurses. But this bears no resemblance to the archetypal old-age homes. Inmates are not chained to their beds.
The price tags are in a range that would appeal to upper-middle-class seniors. Dignity charges a non-refundable Rs 3 lakh and a refundable Rs 4 to 8 lakh, depending on the cottage/room. They take members, unlike the Village which puts a tag of Rs 5 lakh to a small bungalow you can buy outright. There's a monthly maintenance fee too. A retired bureaucrat couple drops in for their third look-see. "Moving into a township like this is a bold decision, children don't see the point," says the husband, "but for parents-grandparents who are done with life's duties, this can mean independence reclaimed." A second start to life sans responsibilities, perhaps.
