Settling down: A post-retirement plan to keep service years alive

Khadki also has a war cemetery better known as Kirkee War Cemetery and a war memorial. The cemetery was created for soldiers killed in the Second World War. It is probably because of its military culture,cantonment and most importantly the Military Hospital (MH Khadki) that the place has been a preferred retirement destination for ex-servicemen. “Out of the total population of 9,000 in the city,almost 3,500-4,000 are ex-servicemen who have made Khadki and surrounding areas their home. Easy availability of healthcare services due to presence of the Military Hospital and being in the vicinity of establishments associated throughout their lives make many choose Khadki as their home. That is probably why many officers’ colonies have come up in the surrounding area,” said Lt Colonel (retd) Shirish Karajgi,District Sainik Welfare Officer,Pune.

“The challenge,however,is recreation. To visit Rajendra Sinhji Institute (RSI) and other such clubs,we have to travel a lot. It would be great if some club on the lines of RSI comes up in the city,” says a retired officer who has made Khadki his home.