Even though she does not earn much at the Section 14 market selling knick-knacks, Zaharah sees running a stall as a way to occupy her time.
SIXTY, the minimum retirement age, is merely a number for many older folk who continue to live a life filled with purpose and passion.
StarMetro spoke to four individuals in their 70s and 80s on why they continued to work even though they were no longer bound by financial commitments or in search of career advancement.
In Petaling Jaya, there are two vendors who are at their posts, day in and day out.
At 84, Lee Seng Hin isn’t letting his age or hearing impairment stop him from tirelessly operating his stall at the Section 14 Market and Food Court Complex.
For 54 years, he has been diligently peeling onions and dishing out bowls of curry mee, asam laksa, prawn mee and mee sup. He still does all the shopping himself.
“I have no other hobby. This is my hobby every day,” he said of his six-day-a-week commitment.
He is driven by a simple belief: “I have to keep doing this; I will fall sick if I stay at home.”
While he finds the stall rental and utilities cheap, the post- Covid-19 pandemic reality of slow business, blamed partly on the stall’s poor visibility and a lack of parking at the market, is a challenge.
With his brother (also a senior citizen) helping out occasionally and his three children lending a hand on weekends, the veteran hawker is determined to keep his family legacy alive.
For 54 years, Lee has been diligently peeling onions and dishing out noodle bowls at the Section 14 Market and Food Court Complex.
He hopes that his son may one day take the reins.
At the same complex, tucked away in a quiet corner, is the stall of 82-year-old Zaharah Ismail, who was previously chief secretary at the Rubber Industry Smallholders Development Authority (Risda).
She runs a stall piled high with snacks and batik sarong, among other things.
Although she only pays a modest monthly rental of RM90, Zaharah’s income is often sparse.
“Sometimes I don’t get any income at all.”
She admits that earning RM50 a day is a struggle, largely because “young people don’t come to this market complex”.
So why is she here?
“I want to occupy my time.”
Running the shop is how she stays both physically and mentally active.
The mother of six, who lives in Kelana Jaya, still drives herself to work every day.
“I drive slowly, there is no rush for me.”
Her children fully support her decision, as they understand that work is the key to her health.
“As long as I am healthy, I will continue,” said Zaharah.
Building her brand at 80
For Kelwant Kaur, the call of entrepreneurship is not to be ignored.
Even when she had a full-time job, the mother-of-three juggled network marketing, selling branded glassware and life insurance to supplement the family income.
Kelwant started making condiments and spices from her home in Subang Jaya eight years ago.
Today, the 80-year-old grandmother-of-two is building her own brand of homemade condiments and spice blends called “Aunty Kel’s”.
“I have always loved cooking. I was experimenting with new recipes when I was 12.
“I would sell mee goreng to my neighbours for 10sen,” said Kelwant, who is the seventh of nine children.
Unlike many cooks who resort to buying ready-made masala mixes for their curries, Kelwant has always insisted on blending her own.
Over the years, she has received many good reviews for her anchovy relish and chicken curry.
She has also entertained countless requests from friends and relatives who ask for her masala mixes.
It was her son who suggested that she start a home business to sell her spice blends.
Always the go-getter, Kelwant, who was formerly employed with the Geological Survey Department (now Mineral and Geoscience Department) went with the suggestion. That was eight years ago.
“How else am I to spend my time now that I am retired and the children are all grown up?” she quipped.
As for starting a new venture at her age, Kelwant believes age is just a number.
She still drives to the market from her home in Subang Jaya, to shop for ingredients and does all the chopping and cooking.
Depending on the volume of orders she receives, she is usually busy in the morning, preparing her products four days a week.
“I am an early riser. By 5.30am I am awake. By 7am, I will be in the kitchen,” she said.
She sells up to 1,000 bottles of her anchovy relish and spice blends every month.
Kelwant is hoping that her children and grandchildren will take the business to the next level: “I am not going to give my recipes to any Tom, Dick and Harry!”
Chong (left) and Ng are in charge of making Lim’s percussion instrument.
Kelwant is assisted by her daughter Parmeet Kaur, who runs her own consulting practice in digital technology.
Parmeet manages her mother’s website and the processing of online orders.
She also arranges for her mother’s products to be placed at supermarkets and handles sales to food outlets.
“I talk to everybody about my business,” said Kelwant.
“People are so happy to hear that I am still in business despite my age,” she added.
Never too old to innovate
By day, Alan Lim, 71, is chief executive officer of an advertising agency.
At night, he is a performing musician.
In addition to his full-time job as a branding strategist, Lim is a self-taught musician who plays the guitar and harmonica.
For the past three years, he has been playing with two other musicians, Jimie Loh, 71 and Frankie Tan, 74, at a bistro in Puchong every Thursday night.
Lim showing the ‘Strum Shaker’, a maracas-like device that can be strapped to the hand.
Lim has come up with a project to help retirees pass their time and assist musicians who can no longer play.
The project centres on the making of a maracas-like device that can be strapped onto the hand.
Lim, who named his device “Strum Shaker”, said he got the idea for his self-styled percussive instrument from a half-empty bottle of health supplements about a year ago.
“I realised it made an interesting sound when I shook it.
“That was when I thought it could be useful for musicians; they can attach it to their hands while they are playing another instrument.”
While his initial intention was to add a percussive element when playing the guitar, Lim said it could also be used on its own to add a beat while singing.
He said the instrument would be ideal for activity time at old folk’s homes.
The Strum Shaker, he said, was ideal for musicians performing solo.
In charge of making Lim’s maracas is Charlie Ng, 68, who develops and manages campgrounds for a living.
He is Lim’s former schoolmate and former owner of an audio-visual house.
Ng has been tasked to make 1,000 of these percussion instruments using plastic bottles filled with red beans and fixing the holders and straps to each unit.
To help with production, Ng roped in an old friend, Chong Kee Yoon, 78, whom he has known for 30 years.
Chong, who used to own a video centre, said he agreed to be part of the project because it was a way for him to keep his mind and body active.
He said that if it was not for this activity, he would be spending his days watching YouTube videos.
“At this age, it is not easy to embark on something new.
“It would also be monotonous to be hanging out at mamak shop every day.
“So, this project gives us a chance to use our time more productively,” said Ng.
So far, the production team has taken a “no rush” approach, preferring to do things at their own pace under the shade of the rambutan tree within the compound of Ng’s garden at his Petaling Jaya home.
Their target is to complete 1,000 units.
At the time of this interview, they had completed 300 pieces.
Lim hopes to sell the instruments for RM60 each.
“The project is still at a pilot stage.
“At present, we have a music shop that is willing to carry the Strum Shaker.
“We will be looking for more music shops, musicians and corporations to buy the instruments,” he said.
Lim said 30% of proceeds would go towards aged or infirmed musicians, while the rest would cover production and labour costs.
On why he has chosen to direct his charity towards musicians, Lim said that he had always felt that they were the most neglected, especially the not so famous ones.
“I feel for them because I am a musician too. I have seen old musicians suffer,” he said.
