We all lead busy lives that are torn between work, family and friends. What is it that can help us find ourselves then?
I feel hobbies should be an important part of our lives. Every individual should have a hobby. A hobby may give you no tangible benefit but a hobby is like meditation. It helps bring calmness to the mind, destresses our body and helps us find our inner self.
A hobby can be something as simple as gardening. For those who get into the depths of gardening, it may not be so simple as it looks. I have seen my mother who is passionate about gardening and she spends many hours on our University campus planting different species of trees. To our surprise, one day she told me she has created a Medicinal plants garden! Imagine this garden is now used as a learning resource which we expose our Medical College students to Integrated medicine and teach them the medicinal properties of these plants! She has also created a fruit orchard where oranges, sweet limes, chikoos and papayas are grown. There are two butterfly gardens also serrated in the campus where during morning hours we see hundreds of different species of colourful butterflies! Such a sight brings so much happiness and satisfaction. Another such hobby that one could pursue is cooking and like all other hobbies it need not be gender specific. I see so many of my male friends who indulge in this hobby and love to cook for themselves and their families.
Likewise, another hobby could be a hobby of reading books, like I have. I am quite fond of reading books and I am grateful that my house has a library which is full of wonderful books which gives me the liberty to pick a book and read whenever I want to. To surround oneself with books is such an amazing feeling. It’s not just relaxation but also a lot of knowledge and information which invigorates the mind. I am very fond of reading biographies or autobiographies not just on individuals but also on organizations. One of my favourite books is on the Tata’s written by Girish Kuber. Another one of my favourite authors is Yuval Noah Harari who brings in so much about what the human species was, how it has evolved and what kind of challenges humans are going to face in the 21st century, as written by him in his book 21 lessons for the 21st century. Another book by him is Sapiens which talks about the evolution of humans or mankind and the history that it walks one through is simply amazing.
One could have a hobby of singing. Every day, I visit the temple on the University campus and I see two young girls singing bhajans. While one of them is an MBA student, the other is an engineering student. While they sing they are oblivious to their audience or the visitors at the temple. They are completely absorbed in singing and when I asked them “why they do it?” they said that is a wonderful stress buster for them. It is like meditation for them and listening to them is meditation for us.
Someone can even have a hobby of playing an instrument. My daughter’s mother in law and my dear friend Shubhada Ruikar plays the piano so beautifully. A few days back I attended her concert, she was so stressed that she had to perform in front of a large audience but she played it so well. She started learning to play the piano just three years back and today she performed in front of an auditorium full of people. She has proved that age cannot be an excuse for not indulging in one’s hobby.
Therefore, I urge all college students to pursue at least one hobby. In times when you are stressed your hobbies help lighten your mood and may also give you peace and clam like meditation. Even when you step out into the professional world, your hobby will help you overcome stress and reconnect with yourself!