40 GOING ON 30

Or at least that is what they think,the indulgent 40-somethings who refuse to grow old

Or at least that is what they think,the indulgent 40-somethings who refuse to grow old
Forty is not infuriatingly,or even slightly worryingly,old. A generation ago,it meant just-15-more-years-for-my-retirement-party. Now,it is the age when you still party in your little black dresses and distressed jeans. Dior Indias vice-president marketing and 40-something Kalyani Chawla says 40 is the new 20. That could be a pleasant exaggeration,but an indulgent group is living it up as though 40 is at least the new 30 with more money in hand.

Actor Pooja Bedi remembers a reckless time when she made fun of her greying,middle-aged aunties. Now the same age as they were then,she says,A generation ago,people were ready to bid adieu to their energy and beauty at 40. I feel physically fit and mentally agile,I feel like a 26-year-old. She turned 40 on May 11. A three-day birthday extravaganza in Goa,with her kids and current boyfriend,father Kabir and his girlfriend and friends,included sunset cruises,Hawaiian skirts and Naughty-at-Forty tees.

Turning four-oh has become an occasion for some indulgent birthday parties. Shailja Saraf,associate vice-president of the liquor company Radico Khaitan and mother of three,took some of her closest friends on a luxury cruise off the Pattaya beach in Thailand for her fortieth birthday last December. I dont let the age bother me. I try to keep my energy levels high, says Saraf. She juggles the Mommy and Me classes with her five-year-old with some me-time spent on swimming,music and dance.

The 40-somethings dont let a decade change their wardrobe. They make sure that a combination of diets and exercise regimens keep the body in shape. And if they need to keep that awkward wrinkle in place,there is always a shot of Botox. Age does not age as it once did. Forty-plus former model and brand ambassador of Burberry Feroze Gujral says she dresses as she did 10 or 20 years ago the hot shorts and bikinis are still there in her wardrobe. Designer Reynu Taandon,44,follows the same fashion trends as her 25-year-old daughter does.
And one doesnt have to be apologetic about going for cosmetic surgery to look younger, says Gujral. The trick is in being a now,not a has-been.

One has to be physically fit at this age. So an indulgence in oneself is a necessity, says Bedi. If she moves from kickboxing to power plates to swimming to keep in shape,model Marc Robinson,42,plays football with boys half his age every day in Bangalore and says he can match them pace for pace,step for step. Hasnt the midlife crisis hit him? People are paying more attention to their health and taking care of themselves,so being 40 isnt all that big a deal anymore by that age youre in a better position financially and socially. Perhaps turning 60 would be old, he says.
For his 40th in July,Subir Malik,keyboardist with the band Parikrama,looked,talked,acted and even dressed like a 22-year-old: he wore a tee with the slogan Im not 40. Im 18 with 22 years of experience. Most of our fans are teenagers. We do 90 per cent of our shows in colleges. That keeps us young, says Malik,who cut a beer-shaped cake at a Delhi nightclub where some 220 guests turned up.

Vandana Mehra,43-year-old fashion designer,sums it up: This is the time when your kids have grown up and are away in college,and you and your husband are successful professionally. This is the time to indulge.
And yet,beneath this money-and-power-triggered confidence lies the fear of losing out to Nature finally. Theres massive insecurity among everyone in my age group. They all want to look good, says Gujral. They are,for now,30.
With inputs from V Shoba