Two sides of the same coin

May 5, 2012, DHNS:

PASSIONATELY YOURS

In a transition similar yet not as sinister as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, several professionals in the City are making time to pursue their interests and hobbies that are as conceivably far from their careers as possible.

One such person is Dr Bryan Nobbay, a well-known dermatologist who has chosen to follow his passion for theatre.

He was recently seen in ‘When Did You Last See Your Trousers?’ among several other plays over the years. 

“One needs a break from work. Life isn’t about working like a donkey. I love being in plays and meeting like-minded people.

It’s a beautiful distraction because work and play are like yin and yang! It’s all about balance,” he says.

What’s more interesting is that rather than taking the focus away from their

careers, pursuing hobbies in fact rejuvenates them. R Dev, a businessman from Monday to Friday, and a veteran wildlife photographer during the weekends, says that it helps break the monotony and “pumps” him up for the coming week.

“I’m far more passionate about photography than business. So giving up my hobby is absolutely out of the question. Photography gives me a greater sense of satisfaction than when I make a profit in the market,” he exclaims.

And it isn’t only the older generation that is finding time for hobbies. Robin D’Souza, a software engineer, spends most of his evenings and weekends dancing.

 “Dancing is my life and my passion. Work is just a part of life for me,” he says.

Not only does Robin participate in competitions but he is also an instructor for several dance forms with the dance troupe Tarantismo. “After all if we only worked in firms and businesses, arts and culture would completely die out,” says the dancer.

Some people also seem so passionate about their hobby, that they pay more attention to it.

Twenty five-year-old Sonal Bhuwalka, of the steel company Bhuwalka Pipes, says she’s so focussed on ‘creative packaging’ that work has taken a backseat.

“I always liked to accessorise things. So now, I design gift boxes and decorate things like trays and ring boxes for weddings. It makes me happy and doing what I love is eventually, most important,” she says.

That attitude seems to be fast spreading. Chandni Jain, who deals with real estate, has found that baking is taking over as a priority.

“Making desserts distracts me from work. It’s a fantastic way for me to unwind,” she says. She experiments with different recipes and makes a minimum of two desserts a day for her neighbours and friends. “Recently though, I’ve started baking for parties.

I haven’t started charging for them though. Why monetise a passion?” asks Chandni.

To retain the enjoyment factor, it is perhaps beneficial to separate work from play.

“Initially I only did photography when I was younger, but unfortunately it didn’t pay my bills! Besides, I enjoyed it less and felt guilty when I got paid for the prints,” reveals Dev. So profession to pay bills and passion to fuel the soul… it’s the balance of life!