Finance World

Episode 92: The Stolen Dignity — When Children Drain Their Parents’ Pension

Series: Broken by Burden: Financial Survival Strategies for the Troubled Mind

Date: 27-10-2025

🎭 Love That Became Exploitation

Characters:

  • Harishankar Das (68): A retired state electricity board employee, living in Bhubaneswar, who believes his children can do no wrong.
  • Sumitra Das (64): His wife, practical and alert, who notices the misuse but struggles to confront her children.
  • Rohit Das (38): Their elder son, jobless but living lavishly, constantly asking for money.
  • Ruchi Das (35): Their younger daughter-in-law, who manipulates Harishankar by claiming “family needs.”
  • Ritika: Harishankar’s granddaughter, a teenager who secretly feels ashamed of how her parents treat her grandparents.
  • Prakash: Harishankar’s friend and retired colleague, who warns him to protect his pension.

🌳 The Father’s Pride

Harishankar retired after 35 years of service with a pension of ₹35,000/month and PF savings of ₹12 lakh.
He often said to Sumitra:

“We’ve raised two good sons. Our happiness is seeing them happy. Our pension is for them too.”

When Rohit lost his corporate job, Harishankar didn’t question how:

“He’s my son. If he needs help, I’ll give everything I have.”

💸 The First Misuse

Rohit asked for ₹5 lakh to “start a new business.” Harishankar withdrew from his PF savings. The “business” never happened, but the excuses kept coming.

  • “Papa, I need ₹50,000 for a friend’s loan.”
  • “Papa, can you pay my car EMI this month?”

Sumitra grew uneasy.

Sumitra: “You are spoiling them. They’re treating your pension like their pocket money.”
Harishankar: “They’re my blood, Sumitra. What will we do with money when they need it?”

⚠️ The Manipulation

Ruchi, the daughter-in-law, became bold:

Ruchi: “Papa, Ritika’s school trip is ₹20,000. You don’t want your granddaughter to feel left out, do you?”
Harishankar (softly): “Of course not, beta.”

Soon, Harishankar’s account was linked to Rohit’s debit card, under the pretext of “easy bill payments.”

🏥 The Crisis

One winter night, Harishankar collapsed with severe chest pain. At the hospital, the doctor said:

“We need to do an angioplasty immediately. The cost is around ₹2.8 lakh.”

Sumitra rushed to withdraw money — but the pension account was almost empty. Rohit had withdrawn ₹2 lakh in the past 3 months.

Sumitra confronted Rohit at the hospital lobby:

Sumitra (angry and crying): “You’ve drained your father’s life and his savings! What will you do if something happens to him?”
Rohit (defensive): “Don’t blame me! I have my own family too. You always think I’m the bad one.”
Sumitra: “Your father’s love isn’t a bank balance for you to loot!”

💔 The Awakening

After Harishankar’s recovery, Prakash visited him.

Prakash: “Hari, you must protect your pension. Open a separate account. Stop giving blank cheques of trust.”
Harishankar (tearfully): “I thought love means giving without asking. But maybe I was wrong.”

For the first time, Harishankar changed his account password and withdrew Rohit’s access.

💸 The Financial Fallout

  • Total amount misused: ₹8.5 lakh (from PF and pension savings).
  • Hospital costs: ₹3 lakh (partly covered by Prakash’s loan).
  • Emotional toll: Harishankar’s health declined, and his trust in his son was shattered.

🧠 Character Psychology

  • Harishankar: A father who equated giving with love, unable to draw boundaries.
  • Sumitra: A voice of reason, but forced to stay silent to avoid breaking the family.
  • Rohit: A reflection of entitlement — when love becomes an easy ATM.
  • Ritika: The next generation, silently observing how greed destroys respect.

💡 What This Story Teaches Us

  1. Parents must maintain financial independence, even in retirement.
  2. Love without boundaries invites exploitation.
  3. Children must understand that parents’ pensions are for their own security.
  4. Financial literacy for seniors is crucial to avoid misuse by even trusted family members.

🌱 Where They Are Now

Harishankar now keeps his pension in a joint account with Sumitra, not his children. He often tells Prakash:

“I’ll help my children, but not at the cost of my dignity and future.”

Rohit, embarrassed after Sumitra’s confrontation, visits less often. Ritika, however, comes alone and says:

“Dadu, I’ll never let you down like Papa did.”

🔜 Next Episode Teaser:

Episode 93: The Insurance Illusion — When Families Fall Victim to Over-Insurance Scams
In the next story, a middle-class couple buys multiple insurance policies sold with false promises, only to realize during a crisis that they are worth almost nothing.

⚠️ Disclaimer:

This narrative is fictionalized but inspired by real cases of pension misuse by family members. Senior citizens must ensure financial safeguards and independent decision-making to avoid such emotional and financial harm.

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