Nowadays, senior citizen influencers are on the rise and they are setting a trend to prove that age is merely a number.

Here are 11 such inspiring stories of senior citizens who are taking a lead with their interesting ideas.

1. Manju Ji, 85 Manju ji started her restaurant Manju’s in Brighton, England when she was 80. Not only does she still cook at the space, but sees to its operations too.

2. Nirmala Hegde, 64 Nirmala began cooking for the building security guards during the lockdown and her home food venture clocked Rs 8,000 within 2 days. Her hit item continues to be appam and garlic chutney.

3. Nagamani, 88 Bengaluru-resident Nagamani started Roots & Shoots, a brand that aims to curb hair fall. The ingredients are hand-pounded, added to coconut oil and left under the sun for at least 6 weeks.

4. Santoshini Mishra, 74 When Santoshini’s husband passed away, she had to rely on cooking to make ends meet. Today, her catering service in Odisha, with over 100 employees, is a hit at weddings.

5. Laxmi Ammal, 89 & Kasthuri Sivaraman, 71 Tamil Nadu’s mother-daughter duo run Pico Farmstay on their 185-year-old organic farm which had been barren for 37 years. Today, their guests enjoy delicious cuisines made from farm-grown vegetables and fruits.

6. Alamelu Ammal aka Ponnu Mami, 85 A resident of Palakkad, Kerala, Ponnu mami is known for her delectable pickles. Her range includes pickles such as lime, mango and magali kizhangu (a medicinal root).

7. Manju Devi Poddar, 65 It was Manju’s 21-year-old granddaughter, Yashi Chowdhary, who pushed her to start ‘Nani’s Special’, through which Manju now delivers sweets and farsan (snacks) throughout India.

8. Retd Army Captain V K Mehra (78) & his wife, Cuckoo Having started ‘Teasta Tea Shop’ in 1995 in Mehra’s garage, the couple now serves a variety of teas and coffees that are brewed in-house, while Cuckoo bakes the muffins herself.

9. Rajinder Kaur Chatha, 92 When Rajinder was married in 1948, she experimented with different spices and came up with a nostalgic chai version. From that very recipe, the brand ‘Ammiji’ was launched in 2015.

10. Asha Puri, 75 Asha Puri had been knitting sweaters, mufflers, etc for more than 50 years before she turned it into a business in 2017. ‘With Love From Granny’ (WLFG) gets at least 100 orders every month.

11. Kokila Parekh, 79 Mrs Parekh’s unique chai found a fan following during the lockdown because of its flavourful profile. Today, her venture ‘Kokila and Tushar’s Chai Masala’ receives hundreds of orders every month.

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