Pursuing a varied passion

THINKING DIFFERENT

Hobbies are surely a way of getting away from the maddening pace of one’s routine.
They help you unwind thoroughly and give you new insights into the being that you are. Hobbies help you discover a whole new self.

There are a couple of youngsters in the City who have taken to some off-beat hobbies. It’s not philately or coin collection or any such thing.

These are rather unusual hobbies that call for dedicated time and resources. If the hobbies are lucrative, then these smart young men and women convert them into a full-time profession.

What started off as a pastime ended up being Nitin Mascreen’s most loved hobby. He began making fish tanks for close friends and this soon transformed into a full-fledged hobby.

“I learnt to make tanks from my father who used to make them the old fashioned way with cast iron and steel as the frame and tar as adhesive. Using the latest technology available, I used the same know-how and made my first tank, here in Bangalore. It’s a great pastime,” says Nitin.

Nitin’s tanks are tailor-made to meet different requirements.

“A friend of mine wanted two tanks to fit his bookshelf and wanted piranhas in one and normal fish in the other. I am currently experimenting on a tower shape, which gives the illusion of a building,” he adds.

Vivek George’s story is no different. His artistic endeavours took him to a different level.

He experimented his art on T-shirts and before he knew, he was designing tees in all colours for friends. The demand was so much that Vivek launched his own banner ‘Your Design’.

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It’s not the only variety of merchandise I produce. It’s also  versatility of thoughts that I intend to portray through my shirts,” says Vivek.

He says it was sheer passion and determination that drove him to take his hobby to this level.

No two tees that Vivek designs look the same. He makes sure he infuses a new idea each time. Now Vivek has been getting orders in bulk, thanks to his innovative ways.
It sure is an unusual hobby but Nimish Gupta has taken to plane spotting rather seriously.

It involves a passion for aviation, including photographing and recording the registration numbers of aircraft.

These pictures can be uploaded on various websites that promote and popularise this hobby.

It was Nimish’s extensive travel by air that got him hooked onto plane spotting.

 “I used to travel a lot on work, and found myself increasingly fascinated with

commercial aspects of aviation and aircraft. I started to search the Internet for information on aviation and specifically, aviation in India, about 10 years ago, and became fascinated with these beautiful flying machines since then,” says Nimish.

He spends nothing less than an hour every day reading up and discussing aviation on the internet with a group that’s just as inclined as he is.

“I also spend half-a-day every month at the airport actually spotting planes,” he adds.

Nimish confesses that he finds this hobby tremendously relaxing and enjoyable.