Successful women who have secured their careers and family are now looking to add an extra zing to their lives by picking up hobbies they put on the back burner in their younger days.
Post pandemic, the realisation that life is unpredictable is rife. So these women eagerly embrace what was once a leisure activity with the same zeal as their professions and love it.
Dr Ekta Chadha is an aesthetic dental surgeon who has a busy practice at her clinic. These days she is also busy pursuing her passion for bridge.
”Now that I can handle my practice and home without going from crisis to crisis, I need to rechallenge myself,” said Chadha to DH. “I had always played bridge as a hobby; now I want to take it up a notch. Bridge is a mind game recognised by the Olympics and the Asian Games. I want to play it at an international, competitive level and represent my country.”
In her late forties, Chadha wants to be on top of the game; she has even attended the Bridge Federation of India coaching for top players. She plans to play in the summer nationals in Bengaluru in the first week of July. Besides her work, Chadha dedicates at least five hours daily to the game. She is also determined to try her best to play at the next Asian Games in 2026.
Ninjit Taneja, 53, is a director of two travel companies. She became interested in bird watching almost two decades ago when she noticed the different species of birds perched on the balcony of her home in New Friends Colony, New Delhi. The interest took flight as a passion.
“The birds took over my existence and became an extra dimension in my life. I began studying their anatomy and habitat and started painting and photographing them. Now I teach children to observe birds, and I organise workshops and exhibitions of my work.”
Taneja is connected with a nature-society in Nasik and uses her photography and videography on social media to spread awareness about avians.
“I work from home and am fully into my passion for birds, and my morning starts with the beautiful chirps of the birds that come to my home,“ said Taneja.
Painting in watercolours, writing her bird journal and working on bird workshops keep this birder and travel professional fully energised and healthy. Taneja added that she has hardly taken a sick day off since she began indulging her love for birds. She said, “Doing something I love for just myself, a passion followed in spite of work and looking after the family, gives me great joy.”
Sudesh Chawla, a longtime PR professional well into her sixties, is in a stressful profession.
“With deadlines and late nights, I missed out on my workouts. I realised I wanted to do something that would keep me fit and uplift my spirits. I signed up for Zumba. I was the oldest person there and very self-conscious. But I persisted because I found it fun and liberating,” said Chawla to DH. “Slowly, from a non-dancer, I am now a total dance enthusiast and a part-owner of the studio. I give my 100 per cent to my dance studio and media company. While monetary earnings from the dance studio are zero, my happiness earnings are 100 per cent!
(The author is a lifestyle, celebrity, and travel feature writer who has worked in a senior capacity with leading publishing houses)