“What’s your hobby Ankit?” My physics teacher asked me when I was introducing myself to the class in first session of the semester.  What to say…what to say? Something went on my inside. “Its watching TV and listening songs.” I told him after a pause of few seconds. “Is watching TV your hobby or it’s just an activity you enjoyed?” I don’t know what to say on this so I just keep mum. “You know Ankit; you don’t have any hobby; find a hobby for yourself.” I sit and next boy started his introduction but sir’s words still echoed in my ears “Find a hobby for yourself.”

I went to meet sir after the class “What’s difference between hobby and action of enjoyment.” I asked him eagerly. “You know Ankit, our heart is like a child, who enjoys playing with a toy today but tomorrow same toy may not hold his interest. If he finds any other toy than he switch to other toy and if he doesn’t find any than he will play with same toy until his interest diminish completely from that toy. You like watching TV because you don’t find any other task of your interest, but one day you will get bored completely with this action. At that point of time, you will switch to other activity, something like watching movies, listening songs, gossiping with friends or orkutting. You can enjoy these actions for a moment but it doesn’t lead you anywhere. These actions are necessary for life but they can’t be hobby of anyone. Hobby is the activity that holds your interest to whole life. You can go up to any extent to find new voyage of your creativity in that work. Hobby is the task that brings hidden potential, creativity, and craziness from you; a work which help you to know yourself.” I was hearing his words like a short heighted batsman is facing bouncers of fast bowler in cricket, who impress with the bowling but don’t know how to play such balls. “But how can I identify such action that brings my craziness?” I asked like somehow short heighten batsman tried to touch the ball. “Go and find a work that you really enjoy. A work which keep all your mental, physical and spiritual concentration. You forget all your worries and move entirely into a new world of your creativity and passion while doing that. You feel strange happiness in that work, something that I can’t express in words; but it feels like happiness of a father who sees his child walking first time, enjoyment of a kid who rides bicycle first time in life, excitement of a lady who is going to see her fiancé after a long time, devotion of a monk who immersed himself completely in the ocean of love for his god, passion of a young boy who drives his favourite bike on traffic less highway and satisfaction like a mother who prepares her son’s favourite dish and looking him eating that dish. Go and find such activity in your life.”

My conversation with Physics teacher had finished after such remark. That semester went on and that sir moved on from my life. I got busy in college life. Next time I thought over hobby only when I was preparing resume for campus selection in final year. At that time we were asked same question to each other, what should be written in hobby. Anyway let’s skip hobby for some time and talk about college life. College life is the days when everyone dreams to achieve a big name in life. Fun, freedom and friends are three achievements of college life; Fun to enjoy each and every moment; freedom to achieve dreams and fantasy; and finally friends to accompany at every moment of life. I also enjoyed these three blessings of college life. Every moment of my college days was full of fun and enjoyment; my dream of getting a good job became true with my sincere efforts in study; and last but not least, I earned lifelong bonding friends from those golden days.

I totally forgot my conversation with physics teacher as I didn’t find any need to get a hobby while enjoying these three ‘F’ of college life. After college, I came to Nagpur for job. Initial days were very much enjoyable for me as we joined there as a batch of twenty three people. We enjoyed a lot in first three months of training in company but I didn’t have idea that those were the end of a golden period of my life. After training, we got project and became busy in our work. I followed same schedule of work each day. I went office at ten in morning and returned at any time after eight in evening. After that, dinner and evening walk were only two activities, I did before going to sleep. Life became monotones to me; in fact my dresses were also decided as per the day. Fun came on the wings of weekend to me; freedom completely lost under the rope of access card of company and friends became the guest of cell phone and soon frequency of our conversation on cell also dipped.

I wanted to start a new activity in my life; an activity that keep my spark alive; an activity that gives this monotones life a memorable meaning. I tried many things at that time but I started with my all time favourite hobby of childhood – watching TV. When I seriously goes into watching TV, I found this activity a favourite time pass in spite of creative hobby. It entertains me sometimes but not rejoices me all the time. I didn’t want to pass my valuable time in nonsense sas-bahu soaps and fake reality shows. Apart from watching TV, I also tried swimming, body building and yoga but no one sparks that sensation in me.

Suddenly I found few of my friends created their blog on internet where they shared their expression. While looking that blog, I remembered my school days when I wrote essays, stories and poems in my own words. As a student, I spent hours to think about a topic before pen down it in paper, and that ability make my writing artefacts unique and different from others. I felt that this is my ‘Love at first sight’ activity and I can do it at anytime, anywhere. I strongly felt that I should give a chance to it. That is how I started ‘Baramade ki dhoop’ to pen down my thoughts and fantasy. First post, second post, third post….wind of thoughts and ideas flows in my mind continuously and it shapes in the form of poem, article and stories in blog. In initial days, my main aim to write post for this blog was just passing the free time, but later I found it complete emotional and mental exercise. Consiousness provides an edge to my thoughts and unconsciousness sparks fresh ideas and topics to write. On day one, I allow my heart to sink into ocean of thoughts and emotions and, on day two, I use my mind actively to pen down those thoughts and emotion in a manner that reader can understand or rather feel it. Suddenly I found all words of my teacher become true for me. I feel enjoyment like a kid who rides bicycle first time in life while writing about any topic; I feel devotion like a monk who immersed himself completely in the ocean of love for his god while putting myself hours to think about any topic; I feel same excitement like a lady who is going to see her fiancé after a long time while sharing these writing artefacts with friends and other readers; I feel happiness like a father who sees his child walking first time when my friends and readers appreciate me for my writing work ( I hope it feels me bung of teacher also when I will get hard critic comments any day); I feel passion like a young boy who drives his favourite bike on traffic less highway while writing posts over post on different genre(emotional, spiritual, social, comedy etc) and category (poem, article and story); and finally I feel same satisfaction like a mother who prepares her son’s favourite dish and look him eating that dish while looking my blog and posts.

I don’t know what will be my future on writing but for sure I enjoy this work more than anything. I haven’t started this blog to show my talent or wisdom to world, I haven’t started it just to become a great writer/poet; I started Baramade ki Dhoop to define a planet of my creativity and craziness.

So this is the story of my journey of searching a hobby. Before signing off, a question for reader…what’s your hobby…? Is it watching TV…? If yes, than go, get a new hobby.