UGLOBAL . COM 103 happy with things around me , mainly due to the political situation . I ’ ve always had this dream and ambition to live life on my own terms , somewhere away from India , even before the rule of these divisive politics . Having been born into a family that had involvement in media , I always wanted to work in that field . I started working full-time for various media organizations — mostly sales and marketing departments — while continuing my education . Like most middle-class families , my parents wanted me to get married at a reasonable age and raise a family . I did manage to do that and have two fantastic boys .
Why did you decide to relocate to Greece ?
In 2019 , when I was approaching the 50th year of my mostly average existence , reality struck . One lazy afternoon , I just randomly googled residency in Greece . Before that , I was dabbling with various choices in in my mind . New Zealand , Scotland , and a few other countries were on my radar of romantic dreams , but had been struck off for various reasons .
As a not-so-well-travelled person , I always had a fascination for Europe . And since this would be a post-retirement life without much income , budget was also of prime importance . So , I had more or less decided on an Eastern European country . I did no particular research or had any input from friends , who mostly laughed the idea off as one of my many blabbers . So here I was … No information , no definite destination , just a dream that I wanted to convert into reality .
What was your main motivation behind investing in the Golden Visa program ?
Many investors tend to do this for reasons like tax benefits , property issues or liabilities they want to avoid … I ’ m not proclaiming that I have no such reasons ; having taken charge of a debt-ridden company ruled by chaos , I have left the company with zero liability — with the support of a handful . It became a really strong platform from where it can only grow . So , the main reason behind my migration was to find peace and solace ; to live somewhere I could do things at my own pace without a bother in the world .
How would you describe the decision-making process you went through before you invested in Greece ’ s residency by investment program ?
After finding the golden visa program at the top of the results pages of my search , I just entered my phone number in the relevant field and moved on . I had no expectations from such a random act , having communicated with a couple of the world ’ s top relocation companies , without much result . I ’ m not good with dates but this was one afternoon mid-May in the year 2019 . Next day , I got a call from some unknown number , and that single call from Energopiisi SA is the reason why I am here today , a happy permanent resident of Greece .
What was your experience working with Energopiisi SA ? How did they help you ?
After a few calls and exchanges of emails , I got to know Mary Tsiganou , a very kind lady and a committed attorney , who would respond to seemingly unimportant — almost irrelevant — queries at late hours with so much sincerity and details that I felt guilty many times . And it may be relevant to mention here that I did not , until this point , own one square inch of property anywhere in the world ; nothing at all . In January 2020 , I landed at the Athens airport in search of a suitable house and to begin the process of starting a totally new life .
I will digress a bit here to offer some personal input about my mental and physical state at that time . I always had a weakness for alcoholic beverages , and at that phase , I was almost an alcoholic . I feel so ashamed of the way I conducted myself those few days . But even during that phase , I could feel the patience and understanding of Martinos and Mary , who would so kindly guide me through everything as if it was normal … Trust me , it was not .
Later on , we saw quite a few houses . We finally decided on a house that suited my budget and ticked most of the boxes on the list and the next day we went off to Corfu to relax for five days . When we got back , I signed a power of attorney to Mary ’ s company to act on my behalf for the formalities . By then , I owed Energopiisi a substantial percentage of my fees , which I couldn ’ t solve at the time . But even despite all of that , they trusted me and did everything possible without a single