Gerald D'Cunha

Pic.: Ashwin Mohta W here do our hobbies, passions and other creative interests come from? “There is an inner spring in all of us,” last evening, Manjeet, my friend, was telling me, “When we are connected to this source, Time and expectations come to a standstill.” I couldn’t agree more… Blessed are those who drink from this inner spring. Blessed, indeed, are those who discover it and trust in it, early in life. Ideally, in Life, our hobbies and passions should become our professions. “If your hobbies and passions become your profession,” some advise us, “we do not have to ‘work’ at all!” But, then, there are others who do not agree with this theory. “Hobbies and passions should be separately pursued from our professions,” this section of people caution, “Else, we will be deprived of a ‘retreat house’ in our souls.” I see logic in both the theories.  I took up teaching as a hobby and passion… Yes, the Time and expectations, both, came to a ...

Pic.: Pradeep Nanda “I n Life, if we can turn our hobbies into our professions,” the famous line reminds us, “we do not have to ‘work’ at all!”  But, many of us may not be so lucky. We do have our hobbies; but, they  aren't  our professions… So, I, always, tell my friends and students this: “Never ever give up your most intimate hobbies… They will help you enjoy your work; they will help you do away with your stress; they will keep you, always, childlike with curiosity and zest… they will keep you, forever, young and spiritual… Yes, they will give you a good reason to live, hope, work and love.” A hobby is the only thing that we do with our total heart… Our passion, enthusiasm and dedication go into it completely… No one needs to coax us to do it, let alone force… Money and reward are not at all the concerns; there is nothing to prove to anyone, anything… Out hearts prompt us to do it, and we just do it… Yes, often, without being worried a...

Pic.: Jhuma Mukherjee “The most expensive hobby a rich man could have is a boat, and the second most expensive hobby he could have is a very old house.” - Barbara Corcoran L ife without our hobbies would have been very boring for each one of us. And, I think, when our hobbies turn into our professions, life would be a blessed one! The question that comes up here is: If our hobbies become our professions, won’t life, soon, become boring and dull? After all, hobbies are those activities which are not inspired by any need to earn or gain, any compulsion or force... So, won’t our professions, eventually, turn into the same old run-of-the-mill drudgeries? The answer can be both ‘Yes’ and ‘No’. ‘Yes’ because, many of us do turn our hobbies into our professions... and, soon, get lured by the money, fame and power that come along. Then, what remains in our profession are the hardcore, and hard-nosed business and negotiation, shrewd maneuve...

Pic.: Rajiv Sharma T oday, during our PD session, the young-ones were talking about their special interests and hobbies. Dhaksh had just attended a week-long photography workshop under a well-known photographer. He shared with us: how he got interested in photography and what it took to be a good photographer. “You need a creative eye,” he said,” You need a very sensitive observation and a good sense of timing.” Samvit loved to play hokey. He told us how he got into it... and, about the kind of practice he had to do to be a competitive hockey-player... He shared with us about the injuries he had sustained - and caused on others, too - all while playing... and, why he still loved playing hockey. Abhinav, the tallest lad in the class, was a passionate basket-ball player. He recounted his story: how he started liking it... the kind of practice he had do... How, apart from Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, some other Greats had inspired him to play basket ball... ...