The third innings

Farewell parties for one’s retirement were celebrated with fanfare in our offices. All the colleagues would pay glowing tributes to the retiring official. Retiring from service with an unblemished record was in itself considered a big achievement. After profusely praising the work and conduct of the retiring colleague, the speakers would generally conclude by conveying their best wishes for the ‘Second Innings’. The cricket template is so embedded in our minds that we compartmentalise life into two innings.

The reference to retired life as ‘second innings’ however didn’t sound appropriate to me. I always felt that there were three phases, or innings, of life. The first is the growing-up phase, which is the run-up to self-reliant adulthood. The period of ‘employment’ is the second innings. The post-retirement period is the third innings. In one farewell speech, I postulated the notion of ‘third innings’ which immediately struck a chord with the audience. 

The first innings, basically a preparation for the second, is spent mostly in academics and grooming. We have to excel in our studies with the objective of getting a good job. We have all heard of the race for JEE, NEET, CAT, etc. To motivate their children to study hard, parents delude them with the prospects of a leisurely life after they bag good jobs. Children are dissuaded from pursuing their hobbies, which are flagged as distractions from their focus on studies. 

No sooner do we embark upon the Second Innings than we realise that jobs entail gruelling schedules. Employment is followed by marriage and by corollary kids in succession. Before long, you will be neck-deep in responsibilities. The pressures of your profession and family bog you down. The mirage of a relaxed life eludes you perennially. The multifarious responsibilities—young kids, careers, and ageing parents—sow seeds of stress in our lives. After we cross 50, we start looking forward to retirement.

Third Innings is the phase in which we have no worries about pursuing studies or earning a livelihood. We are free from all the shackles, provided we have maintained good health. By the time we retire, most manage to own a house and are generally free from children’s responsibilities. Ideally, with life-long savings and retirement benefits on hand, we have enough to live comfortably for the rest of our lives.

The third inning is the phase of life when we can pursue our hobbies and passions. We can devote time to family and society. We have toiled hard in the first and second innings to deservingly earn the third inning. 

The period of the third inning gets shorter with each passing day as it is the final inning, a time to fully savour the reward that all the labour and sweat of the first two innings brought in.