A 68-year-old woman, Rovina, shares her impressions of how her life gained new meaning after she started actively participating in trips and events. In one photo, she is pictured against the backdrop of a gleaming Dubai skyscraper, and in another, she is laughing with a group of women during a desert safari.
A New Beginning After Retirement
Rovina tells her children about travels, including long walks, dancing, shopping, and long conversations over breakfast. She notes that she used to think life slowed down with age, but now she feels like she has started living fully again. For her, this has become not just a vacation, but a process of self-discovery.
Rovina is not alone in her desire to start a new chapter after finishing her career. In cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Pune, and Chennai, hundreds of seniors are starting to attend yoga classes, participate in dance sessions, play pickleball with their spouses, travel with strangers who become companions, or simply find like-minded people who understand this stage of life.
The Creation of the WalkAbout Platform
Many of these transformative stories begin on the WalkAbout platform—a community focused on active people over 55. This platform was created to provide older adults with a space outside of home and family, motivating them to explore new interests, make friends, and maximize the life stage that is often defined by limitations rather than possibilities.
The idea for WalkAbout came from the personal observation of founder Deval Devalive. Previously working at Uber and living in the USA, he noticed significant differences in the perception of aging abroad compared to India. He noted that in countries like the USA, people in their seventies continue to drive, travel, work, and take up new hobbies, whereas in India, public opinion about aging has not changed, and they are often told what not to do instead of being asked what they want to experience.
Co-founder Ashwini Kapila drew inspiration from his own transition after 28 years in banking at institutions such as Merrill Lynch and Barclays. He stated that he decided to create something meaningful in his fifties. For him, active aging is closely linked to continuous learning, curiosity, travel, and constant interaction with people and events.
A Third Space for Active Longevity
WalkAbout was founded on a simple yet powerful concept: older adults need spaces outside of home and family where they can continue to develop, socialize, and feel significant. The startup, previously operating under the name GetSetUp India, rebranded in January 2025 and now serves over 100,000 seniors across India.
The platform offers over 100 in-person events and more than 1000 digital experiences, including wellness programs, learning circles, cultural outings, and carefully curated tours. At its core is the concept of a 'third space'—a place where people can belong outside of work duties or home routines. Deval emphasizes that a sense of purpose does not always have to come from a salary, but people need routine, community, curiosity, and connection.
The platform uses a combination of app access, WhatsApp community management, and offline meetings, which facilitates participation even for those less confident with technology. Event costs start at approximately 500 rupees, while domestic and international trips start from 35,000 rupees, depending on the destination and format.
The founders note that much of the inspiration came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when seniors across India began turning to digital platforms for socializing, learning, and companionship. Deval explains that the lack was not in the desire, but in hesitation: people doubted whether they could teach yoga online or sing and dance again after many decades. They realized that people only needed a safe and encouraging environment.
Participants' Stories
Today, the WalkAbout community includes retired teachers trying stand-up comedy, former bankers studying pottery, grandparents attending fitness sessions together, and couples discovering shared hobbies after decades of putting others' needs first. The platform is essentially connected not so much to the activities themselves, but to identity formation.
The couple Meera and AP Ramana found in WalkAbout an opportunity to rediscover each other and share experiences they had long postponed due to work schedules and family obligations. After retirement, they had time but didn't know how to fill it. Through WalkAbout, they began planning events such as wellness classes, social gatherings, workshops, and pickleball games, allowing them to once again feel the joy of spending time together, comparable to the beginning of dating.
For Meera, one of the most significant shifts was emotional: she realized that loneliness can subtly creep into life at this age, and that community is immensely important. Today, their schedule is filled with experiences they previously thought were inaccessible due to age.
A Paradigm Shift in Aging
India is experiencing what experts call the 'Silver Dividend'—a rapidly growing population of seniors who are healthier, more active, and more ambitious than previous generations. Nevertheless, discussions about aging remain focused on dependency and decline. WalkAbout founders believe it is time to change this perspective. Deval argues that older people cannot be viewed as passive recipients of aid; they are experienced and capable individuals who want to continue contributing, learning, traveling, and building meaningful relationships.
For Rovina, the most important lesson was courage. She advises not to wait for life to come to you, but to step out of one's comfort zone, meet people, and try new things at any age, because she deserves happiness. Meera agrees, reminding that after dedicating so much time to caring for others, one must find time to care for oneself.
