Photo caption: From within four walls of my office into the open air, into the sunlight.
Photos: Ranjan Mukherjee. Left, at work in my office. Right, in the open, inretirement.
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. —Ecclesiastes
Over the holidays, while having a good time with friends and family, I wondered why people feel the need to continue working when they do not have to. What compels them? COVID-19 has made us rethink what we value most in life. People enjoyed working from home spending more time with their families. Why not take it a step further? Make ‘family’ the center of our lives, not ‘work’. So, why don’t they?
Let’s start with a simple, basic question—what makes a person happy?
It is true—some of the best things in life are free. I am running a promotion of my eBook. You can download it for free till December 11. So, what are you waiting for? This book may change your life.Here isthe linkhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BFJHK1B8//ref=cm_sw_su_dp.
Live the good life of a Bon Vivant with a relaxed Zen attitude. Learn about life in other countries: India, France, China and the US.
Please join me and the Newtown Bookshop on Wednesday, November 16th at 6:30pm to celebrate my book “Living Free, Living Well : My Life as a Zen Bon Vivant”! I will be giving a brief introduction, entertaining questions and signing copies!
All are invited to join us in person at the Newtown Bookshop at 2835 South Eagle Road, Newtown, PA, 18950!
Living Free, Living Well
ABOUT THE BOOK
Retired at fifty-eight and living the good life as a Bon Vivant with a relaxed Zen attitude—is this possible?
Yes, as Dr. Ranjan Mukherjee details here in Living Free, Living Well: My Life as a Zen Bon Vivant. You will be amazed by his life story: how little he started with and how he planned, worked, saved, and invested for retirement. He was laid off at fifty-eight. After that, he transitioned into a happy, comfortable retirement and is enjoying it thoroughly.
Part One of the book explains Dr. Mukherjee’s philosophies on finance, education, family, and health―all crucial to his planning toward and enjoying retirement. He offers up a simple, straightforward roadmap for anyone to follow.
What sets this book apart from other retirement planning guides is Part Two, an autobiographical sketch of Dr. Mukherjee’s life on three continents and how those experiences made him the Zen-minded, multicultural person he is today. You will read about his childhood in India, heart-stopping jungle adventures, graduate school and professional life in the US pharmaceutical industry, his gastronomic postdoctoral sojourn in France, and his eye-opening trips to China. He skillfully weaves these two parts together to explain his reasoning behind each life decision. These pithy, insightful anecdotes are a delight to read. Selected, thematic photos enliven the story.
This book is a must-read for those who want to plan for retirement but don’t know where to start or are afraid to take the plunge. This is also for those who are interested in life in different countries: India, the US, France, and China.
Read on. You may soon be enjoying the stress-free, contented life of a Zen Bon Vivant.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ranjan Mukherjee (M.Sc. Physics, Ph.D. Biology) has worked in the US pharmaceutical industry as a research scientist for over twenty years. He retired at fifty-eight, and since then, has been living his dream. He is a writer, traveler, photographer and speaker. He writes on life and retirement and speaks on his travels and adventures in India, France, Nepal and China. His jungle adventures have delighted many audiences. He spends his leisure time with a good book and a nice drink—a true Zen Bon Vivant.
On November 9, 2022, at 6.30 PM, I am speaking at a “Meet the Author” event at the Feasterville Library, Southampton, PA. Here is the link.
Author event at Feasterville library on November 9, 2022 discussing the book ‘Living Free, Living Well’ by Dr. Ranjan Mukherjee.
It will be a fun evening themed RETIRE EARLY-LIVE FREE-LIVE WELL. You could too. Come and find out how. More information below:
Join us for an entertaining and educational in-person presentation that could change your life. Hear Dr. Ranjan Mukherjee speak about his life experiences garnered over three decades that enabled him to retire happily and comfortably at fifty-eight. Follow him on his journey and adventures across three continents and learn about life in India, France, and China. See color photos and archival black-and white pictures that bring his story to life. Learn tips from the financial to the philosophical and everything in between from someone who has walked the walk and is now living his dream.
Copies of Dr. Mukherjee’s book Living Free, Living Well: My Life as a Bon Vivant (How I Retired at 58: A Guide & Memoir) will be available for sale and signing. Cost is $14.99 per book and payment can be in the form of cash, check, or credit card.
Nine years into a very comfortable retirement, I wrote and published my first book. The full title is on the cover picture below.It describes my journey across three continents and the life-experiences that enabled me to retire happily and comfortably at fifty-eight. It is is a short, simple roadmap for anyone to follow, now available on Amazon.com.
Living Free, Living Well: My Life as a Zen Bon Vivant
Take a ‘look inside’ the book on the Amazon website. There are many tips: from the financial to the philosophical and everything in between. I selected the pictures with great care, to add to the theme of the chapters. Some are archival and you may have difficulty recognizing. For example, compare the cover picture to this one:
Undergraduate, St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta, 1974
I worked in the pharmaceutical industry as a research scientist for over twenty years. I was laid off in 2013. It felt like a punch in the gut. I describe my feelings on that day in the Prologue. What is your reaction when you read it?
In my office, the last days at work, 2013
That precipitated an intense period of introspection. I had, over time, prepared for just such an eventuality, both financially and psychologically. I was lucky. I retired—and never looked back. I am now living my dream; reading, writing, traveling and speaking. The layoff was the push that did it. It forced me to think, to prioritize, to realize what was important in life. I realized that to be happy and to live well you have to be free, hence the title. Now, I can do what I want to do, not what I have to do to earn a living. The change from “have to” to “want to” makes a world of difference. I have no boss (except my wife, but that is another story, detailed in Chapter 10, My Life in Retirement).
Enjoying retirement—at the Andaman Islands, India, 2020
Who knew that retirement, would be so creative and pleasurable. I have just published my first book and already contemplating a second, a compilation of my stories on travel and adventure!
On an elephant in the jungles of Arunachal Pradesh, India, 1979
I wrote this for those planning retirement or are close to it but afraid to take the plunge. It is also for those interested in life in other lands, in this case: India, France, USA and China.
I hope you read the book and find it entertaining and useful. It may change your life! You may soon be living the good life of a Bon Vivant with a relaxed Zen attitude and enjoying retirement as much as I am. I look forward to your feedback and reviews.
Ranjan's Writings 