Away from the arc lights

Whenever I get a weekend to myself, I do things that I normally don't get time to do. Every weekend is spent in a different way just to break the monotony.

I am a movie buff so the first thing that I do when I have some spare time is to watch movies and catch up on the television series that I missed out on. I select a good mix of films which include a few regional ones as well.

Watching movies give me an insight into the technical side of filmmaking which also subconsciously helps me improve my craft. I also dedicate a lot of time to my PlayStation with FIFA and Ashes Cricket being my all-time favourites. I have my friends or my wife Dhanya joining me at the PlayStation. Dhanya is currently working in the US but whenever she is here, PlayStation, is our favourite pastime.

Spending time with friends are an integral part of my weekend plans. I am very close to the handful of them from my engineering days and those from SAP, where I worked for a while. We catch up on weekends and sometimes go on long drives to Bandipur or Coorg. We also head to Mysuru and spend time at the Chamundi Hills. We go there just to climb up and down the 1000 odd steps. Most fitness enthusiasts do this, with early morning being the best time. These trips are truly memorable and indeed very refreshing. Fitness and training at the gym has been a part of my routine for as long as I can remember. I feel that my day is incomplete if I don't workout.

I picked up the basics of cooking from my mother when I was barely 12 years old. I began making small things such as omelette, Maggi noodles and 'aloo palya.' But as I grew older, I developed an interest towards cooking and began experimenting with making complicated dishes. Today, I make some delicious 'chicken biryani', 'Rava fish fry' which I learnt from my mother and variations in chicken, especially the dry items. I am not a foodie and eat everything in limited quantity. I don't have a sweet tooth and that's precisely why I don't have a craving for ice creams and chocolates.

Books are my favourite companion. I don't finish a book at one stretch and read it over two or three days. I enjoy reading 'Harry Potter' and 'Game of Thrones' series. I also have a sizeable collection of books by John Grisham and Stephen King. I like their style of writing and their stories are very immersive. I also read a lot of Kannada literature with S L Bhyrappa and Poornachandra Tejaswi being my favourite authors.

I also make sure that I spend some time alone to reflect on my journey so far. This helps me shed negativity and develop a positive approach towards everything in life.