Hobby Is Not a Geeky Word!

Malvika Jain is a Long-Distance Cyclist

Cosmo: Tell us about your hobby!

Malvika Jain: “I love cycling; mountain biking to be specific. As a cyclist, I’ve toured the Nilgiris (900 kms) and the MTB Himalaya offroad cycling tour (500 kms). I’ve also done Ladakh, the Aravallis and Western Ghats.”

C: How did you pick cycling?

MJ: “As a child, whenever my family went to the Himalayas for trips, I always wanted to get off the roads and really explore. I took up cycling because it’s not as slow as walking and not as fast as taking a car. It’s such a beautiful feeling of being self-reliant and independent.”

C: What’s the coolest thing about being a cyclist?

MJ: “Riding makes me feel ‘fighting fit’, that if I don’t cycle for a few days I feel like a sofa set.”

C: What’s the best reaction you’ve ever got from people on the road?

MJ: “Once a pedestrian yelled out saying, ‘Bhaag, Basanti Bhaag!’”

Lohita Phooken Collects Quirky Matchboxes

Cosmo: Tell us about your hobby.

Lohita Phooken: “I collect matchboxes, which makes me a Phillumenist.”

C: That’s unusual! How did you get started?

LP: “Two years ago, I watched a film called The Painted Rainbow where this old lady collects matchboxes and imagines herself being transported to the colourful world of the drawings on the matchboxes. It immediately struck a chord.”

C: How do you find these matchboxes?

LP: “I stop at every paan shop I pass. I make it a point to ask the autowalas if they have a quirky matchbox and give them one that’s readily available in exchange. I have matchboxes from India, Lithuania, US, and Bangkok.”

C: What’s your favourite hobby memory?

LP: “A girl in college gave me a rare wooden matchbox from Bangkok, that isn’t available nowadays. I hardly knew the girl, but she’d heard that I collect matchboxes so she got one for me. I think that was very special.”

Karuna Chauhan is a Papercraft Artist

Cosmo: Tell us about your hobby.

Karuna Chauhan: “I’ve been passionate about crafts ever since I was a kid. As a papercraft artist, I use various kinds of craft supplies and tools to make handmade invites, 2-D and 3-D greeting cards, quilled paper art, scrapbooks, book marks, wall hangings and home decor products.”

C: How long have you been doing this?

KC: “I’ve been a stationary hoarder all through childhood and was often scolded by my parents for it. I loved doing things with paper. I revisited this love in 2009 when I relocated to Bengaluru, and had lots of spare time. While I did it to kill time back then, now I find it to be a great stress buster and a way to keep my creativity and imagination alive.”

C: What’s the coolest thing about papercraft?

KC: “That I get to explore my creativity and challenge myself to try new, quirky and crazy craft ideas by mixing different techniques, mediums and art forms I have learnt over the years.”

Priyanka Gusain is a Canvas Painter

Cosmo: Tell us about your hobby.

Priyanka Gusain: “I paint huge canvas abstract paintings and landscapes.”

C: How did you start?

PG: “When I was five, my teacher gave me homework to colour a few fruits in my colouring book. I asked my sister for help because I couldn’t paint at that time. But my mother saw me and encouraged me to do it myself. She used to appreciate even my worst painting and collect each one for her collection. She got me painting books, crayons, paints, brushes...everything. That’s how my journey began.”

C: How do you take out time for your hobby?

PG: “Painting for me is like a stress buster. I paint when I feel anxious, when I feel sad and when I feel happy. It’s like it is mandatory in my life to paint when I am feeling things I can’t otherwise share with the world. I like to speak through my paintings.”

C: What’s the coolest thing about your hobby?

PG: “The coolest thing is that I’m getting featured in one of the best magazines of the country and getting famous for what I love to do!”

C: Tell us about your favourite ‘hobby memory’?

PG: “I got through my college admission, in the course I wanted, by applying through Extra Curricular Activities quota, by painting.”

C: How has painting changed your life?

PG: “It has changed me in many ways. Painting has built my personality and I love to acknowledge that whenever I feel low about myself, I just look at my collection to see how talented I am and just start painting again." 

Ananya Biswas is a Photographer

Cosmo: Tell us about your hobby.

Ananya Biswas: “I love photography. I don’t refer to it as just a hobby, though. It’s a bigger part of my life. It’s my love!”

C: What’s the coolest part about being a photographer?

AB: “You get to witness such awesome things! You’re the one capturing the most special moments, the drama, the emotions, everything! You’re the one making and preserving the memories. What could be cooler than that?”

C: When was the first time you did it?

AB: “I was a tiny pest when I held a camera for the first time. But that wasn’t really the beginning. In second year college, my dad got me a digital camera and that was where it all started.”

C: How has your hobby changed your life?

AB: “I am very restless as a person. I want to write, do theatre, travel, and definitely take a lot more pictures! Photography has taught me that there’s so much more to everything. It’s definitely changed the way I look at this world!”