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‘Hob’nobbing with your passion

Bengalureans are going back to their childhood to dabble in simple hobbies for the joy of it
While it is a truth told in a phrase that the old are in a second childhood, in a city like Bengaluru, the not-so-old have a chance of going back to their own young days as well. With the stress of everyday living proving all too much at times in this busy city, adults are gradually going back to the simple hobbies that they cherished most during their younger days. Enter intricate adult colouring books and adult story-telling sessions involving rich tales told in a sparse set up – children’s hobbies have entered adult realms and how.
With a story-telling session in almost every venue and bookstore these days, adults in the city have a chance of dwelling in fantasy as they sit on the floor with likeminded folk to listen to an expertly told story.
Geeta Ramanujam, who founded Kathalaya and has travelled the world with her rich brand of story-telling, says, “A story walks you through love, pain, separation and depression. I have had deeply personal letters that participants of my workshops have sent to me where they tell me of how a simple story has tided them over the worst periods of their lives. In fact, the lady who opened Kathalaya’s Pune branch is one such person for whom life did a 360 degree turn thanks to story-telling. While this surge in interest in this hobby is intrinsic to urban living, it was always a part of life – in fact, the purpose of the Harikathas was to lull you to sleep at the end of a hard day!”
While being an adult has to do with living inside the lines, the one way you can revel in it is on the pages of a colouring book. City artist Kehaan J Saraiya says, “People are usually born with the cognitive skill to enjoy painting and they gradually lose it with time. But colouring books bring it back and it is incredibly soothing to work on these intricate patterns to beat stress.”
It’s not just colouring books and stories, however. More and more efforts to get adults involved in kiddie hobbies have been coming to fruition with an increased demand for boundless dabbling in music and arts. Sameena Sharif, who runs the hobby centre Expressions, with her husband for adults ‘of all ages upto an 82 year old aunty’ says, “The weekends are busiest because that’s when the IT professionals and corporates come in to unwind. We let them choose whatever they want to do. Some paint with watercolours, some learn a bit of music, some others just sit around and chat like kindergarten kids. And even after they have chosen a hobby for the day, we allow them to change it if they do not feel like it the next day! That is a kind of freedom that adults love.”

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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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