A shopkeeper has finally retired after working for 38 years without a single day off – and joked that he is looking forward to finally getting to know his wife.
Roy Kharbanda refused to ever take a break, manning the store he bought in 1982 in Southampton, Hampshire, seven days a week for 13,416 days straight.
The 62-year-old worked 12 hour days every day except Sunday, when he would put in a 10 hour shift, even opening for an hour every Christmas Day.
The father-of-three says he was driven by a desire to give his daughters the best education he could afford and regarded holidays as a waste of time.
Roy Kharbanda, 62, refused to ever take a break, manning the store he bought in 1982 in Southampton, Hampshire, seven days a week for 13,416 days straight
Roy bought the shop in 1982 when he was 24 and has worked to give his daughters a good education. Pictured in hospital, above, after the birth of his eldest daughter Mira in 1986
Mira, left, his niece Himani Arora, 18, middle, and youngest daughter Justine,right, celebrated Roy’s retirement. He didn’t want his daughters taking over the shop and his nephew now runs it
The shopkeeper arrived in Southampton from the Punjab region of India in 1981 to marry Shashi, 59, and the couple are planning their first holiday together after 39 years of marriage
He took over the Testwood Stores shop on Testwood Road in the city’s Shirley region and worked night and day to build it up into a successful business, opening at 8am and shutting at 8pm
Roy wanted to give his daughters the best education. His eldest daughter Mira, 34, pictured getting her degree as a doctor, is a now geneticist
Youngest daughter Justine, 29, pictured getting her degree in law. She is now a lawyer for Microsoft
Now his children have established successful careers as a doctor, an engineer and a lawyer, Roy has finally stepped away from the shop he took over aged just 24.
The grandfather of three joked that he is looking forward to finally getting to know his wife Shashi – with whom he is planning their first ever holiday together – after 39 years of marriage.
‘People think I’m bonkers,’ he said.
‘I have lived for my children. My view is that everything comes and goes. You can have holidays but they come and go. Education is forever. That is the mantra of my life.
The 62-year-old worked 12 hour days every day except Sunday, when he would put in a 10 hour shift. He even opened for an hour every Christmas Day
‘My wife and myself wanted to give our children a decent education. Now I’ve done what I wanted to do for the kids.’
In almost four decades running the convenience shop Roy has established himself as a community legend and has even served five generations of one local family.
And when he finally departed on July 16 – having started on October 4 1982 – he was clapped off by 150 people who gathered to pay tribute.
Roy arrived in Southampton from the Punjab region of India in 1981 to marry Shashi.
A crowd of 150 people gathered to pay tribute when the shopkeeper finally departed on July 16, having started on October 4 1982
The following year he took over the Testwood Stores shop on Testwood Road in the city’s Shirley region.
Over the next few years he worked night and day to build it up into a successful business, opening at 8am and shutting at 8pm.
Eventually the family was able to move out from the flat above the shop to a semi-detached house nearby.
Roy was then able to send all three of his daughters to £13,000 a year Gregg private school then to a leading sixth form college and university.
Mira, 34, is a now geneticist, Natasha, 33, an engineer and 29-year-old Justine works as a lawyer for Microsoft.
The father-of-three was driven by a passionate desire to give his daughters the best education he could afford and regarded holidays as a waste of time
Realising he no longer needed to support them, and with grandchildren he wanted to spend more time with, Roy made the momentous decision to retire.
He didn’t want his daughters to take over the shop and his nephew now runs it.
Having now been at home full time for just over a week, 59-year-old Shashi says she is just getting used to him being in the house in the daytime.
‘It’s been nice having him around,’ she said. ‘He’s been helping me in the garden which I used to do on my own.’
In almost four decades running the convenience shop Roy has established himself as a community legend and has even served five generations of one local family
Reflecting on the past 38 years, she said: ‘The whole point was giving our children a decent education and what we didn’t have.
‘I wasn’t surprised when he said he was retiring. The kids told him that he’d done more than enough for them.’
The couple are now planning potential holidays for the first time.
Although Shashi has visited India, Roy hasn’t been back. And while their daughters have been suggesting exotic destinations, she thinks a staycation is more likely.
‘He’s not really a travelling person but he wants to see a lot more of England,’ she said.