The phone passes from one hand to another across the dining table. In one picture, 68-year-old Roweena stands against Dubai’s glittering skyline, smiling wide in a floral shirt and sunglasses. In another, she is laughing with a group of women on a desert safari, arms linked like old friends who have known each other forever.
Her children watch, amused and a little surprised, as she excitedly narrates stories from the trip — the long walks, the dancing, the shopping detours, the endless conversations over breakfast buffets.
“There was a time when I thought life slows down after a certain age,” she says softly. “Now I feel like I’ve started living again.”
For Roweena, this wasn’t just a vacation. It was a rediscovery of self.
Roweena isn’t the only one discovering a new chapter after retirement. Across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Pune, and Chennai, hundreds of older adults are taking their first yoga class, joining dance sessions, trying pickleball with their spouses, travelling with strangers who become companions, or simply finding people who understand this stage of life.
Many of these journeys begin in the same place: WalkAbout, a community-driven platform for active agers above 55. Created to give older adults a space beyond home and family, it encourages them to explore new interests, build friendships, and make the most of a stage of life that is often defined by limitation rather than possibility.
The idea for WalkAbout came from a deeply personal observation. Founder Deval Delivala, who previously worked with Uber and spent years living in the US, noticed how differently ageing was perceived abroad compared to India.
WalkAbout is helping older adults trade isolation for experiences, proving that a new chapter can also begin at 55.
“In countries like the US, people in their seventies are still driving, travelling, working, and discovering new hobbies,” she says. “But in India, even though older adults have changed, society’s perception of ageing has not. We keep telling them what not to do instead of asking them what they still want to experience.”
For co-founder Ashwini Kapila, the mission emerged from his own transition after a 28-year-long banking career with institutions like Merrill Lynch and Barclays.
“On my 50th birthday, I decided to press the button and build something meaningful,” he says. “For me, active ageing is deeply connected to lifelong learning, staying curious, travelling, and continuing to engage with people and experiences.”
Together, they began asking a simple question: What if retirement was not an ending, but the beginning of a more purposeful second innings?
A third space where ageing feels alive
WalkAbout was born from a simple but powerful idea: older adults need spaces beyond home and family where they can continue to grow, connect, and feel purposeful.
The startup, which previously operated as GetSetUp India before rebranding in January 2025, today serves a growing community of over 100,000 older adults across India.
Through 100+ in-person events and over 1,000 digital experiences, it offers everything from wellness programs and learning circles to cultural outings and curated travel experiences.
At the heart of it is the idea of a ‘third space’ — somewhere people can belong outside of work responsibilities or domestic routines.
“Purpose doesn’t always have to come from a pay cheque,” says Deval. “But people still need routine, community, curiosity, and connection. That is what we are trying to build.”
The platform works through a mix of app-based access, WhatsApp-led community management, and offline gatherings that make participation easier for seniors, even those less confident with technology.
For India’s active agers, community is becoming the antidote to loneliness and the gateway to purpose, connection, and joy.
Events and workshops start at around Rs 500, while domestic and international trips begin from approximately Rs 35,000 onwards depending on the destination and experience.
The founders say much of the inspiration came during COVID-19, when older adults across India suddenly turned to digital platforms for connection, learning, and companionship.
“There was never a lack of intent,” says Deval. “There was hesitation. Someone would say, ‘I know yoga, but can I teach it online?’ Or someone wanted to sing or dance again after decades. We realised people only needed a safe and encouraging space.”
Today, WalkAbout’s community includes retired teachers trying stand-up comedy, former bankers learning pottery, grandparents attending fitness sessions together, and couples discovering shared hobbies after decades of prioritising everyone else.
In many ways, the platform is less about activities and more about identity.
Who do you become after retirement? What parts of yourself are still waiting to be explored?
And can joy still arrive unexpectedly at 60 or 70?
For many members, the answer has been yes.
When life opened up again at 68
Before joining WalkAbout, Roweena’s life had largely revolved around responsibility.
A BA LLB graduate from Mumbai, she had spent years building a successful corporate career. At the peak of her career, just as she was set to receive her promotion, she stepped away from work to prioritise her family and care responsibilities in a four-generation joint household.
“I don’t regret leaving my career because I gave it my best,” she says. “But somewhere, I knew there was still a part of me waiting to be explored.”
For years, that part quietly stayed in the background.
Retirement wasn’t the end of Roweena’s journey. It was the moment she finally became the centre of her own story.
She had always loved singing and dancing but never found the time to pursue them seriously after marriage, work, children, and caregiving took over. “I had to dance to everybody else’s tunes,” she jokes warmly.
After her in-laws passed away and her children settled into their own lives, Roweena began feeling restless. She knew she wanted something meaningful for herself.
Then, during the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic, a friend introduced her to what was then called GetSetUp.
“The day I joined, I felt like I had found where I belonged,” she says. “I genuinely blessed myself for taking that step.”
What began with online wellness sessions and yoga classes soon expanded into singing workshops, dance sessions, movie-themed performances, and friendships across cities.
Initially, she was hesitant to join the dance classes.
“I would keep my screen off because I thought I couldn’t do it,” she laughs. “Then one day I said, ‘This is what I always wanted. Let me try.’”
That one decision changed everything.
Today, Roweena has travelled with WalkAbout to Dubai, Kerala, Goa, Delhi, Dehradun, and Mussoorie. But it was the Dubai trip in 2023 that remains closest to her heart.
For the first time, she travelled without worrying about anyone else.
“When women travel with family, one part of their mind is always managing others — whether everyone has eaten or whether someone is comfortable,” she says. “This time, I was the centre of my own experience.”
There were desert safaris, live music nights, dancing at restaurants, bus rides filled with Antakshari and games, and long conversations that stretched late into the night.
Even people who had “never danced before” found themselves on the dance floor, she recalls.
“It felt like a newfound freedom,” she says. “Like a second innings, but even more exciting.”
More than the destinations, though, it was the companionship that stayed with her.
“There is no baggage here,” she explains. “Nobody judges where you come from or what you did in life. People just accept you.”
Through new friendships, dance classes, and solo adventures, hundreds of older Indians are redefining what life after 55 can look like.
Over the years, she has formed close friendships with nearly 20 members from different parts of the country — bonds she says feel unexpectedly deep.
The experience also changed her confidence.
“I always knew I was capable,” she says. “But this gave me the chance to express myself again.”
A couple who found companionship in new ways
For Mrs Meera and Mr AP Raman, WalkAbout became less about reinvention and more about rediscovery — of each other and of shared experiences they had long postponed.
Like many couples, much of their earlier life had been consumed by work schedules, responsibilities, and raising a family. There was little time left for hobbies or spontaneous adventures.
Retirement changed the pace of life, but not necessarily its emotional landscape.
“We suddenly had time, but we didn’t quite know what to do with it,” Meera recalls.
After decades of responsibilities, Meera and AP Raman are discovering the joy of simply experiencing life together again.
Through WalkAbout, the couple began filling their calendar with experiences they had long postponed.
From wellness sessions and social meetups to learning workshops and pickleball, each activity became another reason to step out together.
Eventually, they rediscovered the joy of simply doing things as a couple again, after decades of routine.
“It felt like dating again in some ways,” AP Raman says with a laugh.
The experiences also helped them expand their social circle. They met other couples navigating similar transitions, shared conversations around ageing and purpose, and built friendships that extended beyond organised events.
For Meera, one of the biggest shifts was emotional.
“At this age, loneliness can quietly enter your life without you noticing,” she says. “Community matters more than people realise.”
Pickleball, fitness sessions, and friendly competition are helping seniors redefine what active ageing looks like.
That sense of companionship — both with each other and with peers — became one of the most valuable parts of the experience.
Today, their calendar is dotted with experiences they once thought had an age limit.
In fact, between pickleball matches, workshops, and meetups, they have little time to worry about whether something is “meant” for their age.
Growing older should not mean growing isolated
India is currently witnessing what experts often call the ‘Silver Dividend’ — a rapidly growing population of older adults who are healthier, more active, and more aspirational than previous generations.
Yet conversations around aging continue to focus heavily on dependence and decline.
WalkAbout’s founders believe it is time to shift that lens.
“We need to stop treating older adults as passive recipients of care,” says Deval. “They are experienced, capable individuals who still want to contribute, learn, travel, and build meaningful relationships.”
That philosophy is reflected in the platform’s approach. Many of WalkAbout’s community leaders are active agers themselves, conducting sessions in wellness, local travel, learning, and skill sharing.
The idea is not to create spaces that isolate seniors from society, but to integrate them more meaningfully into it.
The biggest surprise of growing older may be discovering that some of life’s best experiences are still waiting ahead.
For Roweena, the biggest takeaway has been courage.
“Don’t wait for life to come to you,” she says. “At any age, step out, meet people, try something new. You deserve happiness too.”
Meera echoes the sentiment.
“We spend so much of our lives taking care of others,” she says. “But there comes a time when you must also nurture yourself.”
And perhaps that is what makes communities like WalkAbout resonate so deeply.
Not because they offer travel itineraries or hobby classes, but because they remind people that ageing can still hold excitement, connection, purpose, and surprise.
That a new chapter can begin at 55 or 68, or even later.
And sometimes, it begins with something as simple as showing your family pictures from a trip while realising that somewhere along the way, you found yourself again.
All images courtesy WalkAbout team
