Bangalore to Bhilai — On a one-way ticket!
By: Sumit Ramani
Tags: Financial Independence, Bhilai, Transitions, Actuary, Bangalore

As most of my friends (who temporarily shifted base to their respective hometowns due to COVID-19) travel back to the metros, I am busy packing my bags and shift to Bhilai for good by end of this month! While COVID-19 surely accelerated the move the seeds were sown in late 2016!

It was a day before Diwali of 2016 and I had visited my parents for Diwali (after missing several Diwalis in a row because of the actuarial exams I was writing for several years). My dad fell because of low blood pressure. The fall resulted in bleeding the brain and he was in ICU for several days. While the organization I worked with was considerate to give me leaves, the thought of event happening again in absence still sends chills down the spine. While he was in the ICU, I had decided to shift my base to Bhilai.

So why it took 4 years?

While I was clear that I would move to Bhilai eventually, the decision to move immediately would have been a knee-jerk reaction driven by emotions. Clearly, there would have been challenges around the job (both mine and my wife’s) and with limited money in the bank account, the transition couldn’t have been sustainable and would have possibly added to the problem for everyone. In the hindsight, the decision to delay surely feels right.

In the 4 years, a few things happened and now I am more confident of the transition. I qualified as an actuary in the beginning of 2017 and I quit the job soon to start on my own in October 2017. I have been consulting clients across the globe and my physical location didn’t play any part in winning and delivering the assignments I took. And of course, ProtectMeWell started as a remote-only company last year. The acid test happened during last Diwali when I temporarily shifted to Bhilai and worked from there for over 100 days!

Now I have enough reasons to believe that location has a limited role to play in my professional role. Thanks to COVID-19 the world has also realized the one can work from anywhere. And yes, I would travel like I used to pre-COVID whenever and wherever my physical presence is required.

Essentially, nothing changes for the clients I have been consulting and stakeholders of ProtectMeWell

How would personal life change?

It would change a lot and I can see only positives here.

My daughter is now 3. Since I worked from home all these years, I was lucky to have spent a lot of my time with her but I think I need to spend a lot more. Not because I intend to “teach” her but because I want to help her discover the world and herself.

I strongly believe it is the responsibility of the parents to set the right foundation for the kids and can’t be outsourced to schools!

Apart from the intent, this would require both time and money. Thanks to the transition (implying reduced expenses) and financial assets accumulated all these years, my expenses would be funded by interests and dividends. Financial Independence of sorts! Achieving similar status while in Bangalore could have taken a few more years!

If my parents could quit their comfortable life and shift from Kanker (in Bastar) to Bhilai for us to get the right environment for education, I can surely move from Bangalore to Bhilai (and add to the quality of my life!)

Both parents and parents-in-law are super-excited about the move as they both in Bhilai and can’t wait to spend more time with their granddaughter. Yes, the focus of parents has shited to the daughter but both the wife and I want to live closer to parents and spend quality time with them.

Once parents age, the role reversal “should” happen!

My wife was on a career break after the daughter was born. She has been acquiring new skills and is getting ready for her Career 2.0. The fact that both parents and parents-in-law would be around to take care of the daughter (apart from me, of course) is only going to help when she does take the plunge again. Like mine, her second innings of the professional life would be location agnostic

Why Bhilai?

It couldn’t have been any other place. Both my wife and I grew up in Bhilai and love the town. The parents and parents-in-law live in Bhilai. And most importantly it is a cosmopolitan town in every sense of the word. The education scene until recently was top-notch but has lost the charm in recent years. But I have the plan to more than compensate for it.

Bhilai also ticks the box when it comes to high-speed internet and access to the airport — the two key facilities that you need for work. The distance between Bhilai and Raipur airport is the same as the Bangalore airport from my home in Bangalore (which, by the way, is pretty central!)

The town also boasts of excellent infrastructure (like 6-lane roads in the heart of town), decent gymkhanas, no traffic jams, parks, green trees and is in proximity to several getaways!

Am I slowing down?

This is the question I was asked by several people who are privy to the transition decision. The answer is, “Certainly not!” I am at the prime of my health and career and the groundwork done over the last 3–4 years has created a solid foundation. I also have intentions to dip into the new talent pool being created in the area because of IIT Bhilai and IIM Raipur which became operational a few years ago. Who knows my move could trigger the start-up movement in Bhilai! So for me, it is an onwards and upwards journey from here on. Both on the personal and professional front!