THERE are people whose excellence in a hobby makes them scale such heights that they come to be better known for their passion than their profession. There are others who strive to strike a balance between their calling and their creativity so as to achieve proficiency in both realms. A few such persons share their experiences and tell how their hobbies complement or enrich their professional pursuits.

Many may not be aware of the fact that renowned Kathak guru and performer Padmashri Shovana Narayan is a senior bureaucrat, holding the post of Director-General (Audit), Government of India. A creative calling as a nationally and internationally renowned classical dancer. Sharing her success mantra and unflinching zeal to perform and promote Kathak, she maintains that one needs to be clear about one’s aims and objectives and formulate a disciplined work and time schedule to accomplish these besides three unpublished works, 28 productions presented worldwide, the lecture-demonstrations and solo performances have all been possible without any strain, as I have learnt to extract pleasure from hard work and my achievements.”

The discipline and concentration level I achieve from music helps me to do better in academics and in my profession. His musical journey started with the recording of old filmy numbers on a keyboard for his maiden album, Emotions –I in Cleveland Ohio (USA) in 2005. That made me turns to instrumental music, religiously learning the violin, first under the tutelage of Guru Sachin Bhaduri and later under the great Mrinal Sen in Kolkata.

Once, a top-grade artiste had opined that I had better prospects in music than in medicine. But I opted for medicine keeping in mind the fact that both music and medicine have healing power. Who would know the therapeutic powers of music better than a psychiatrist? Tryst with classical music dates two over two decades back.

Technically, hobby does not have much relevance for profession as a psychiatrist, but honestly, the daily riyaz on keyboard or harmonium eases work stress and certainly helps.

Just back after having been honoured as an international woman activist at the UN, she has earlier been felicitated with a Lifetime Achievement Award by parliamentarians in Ottawa, among others. If the performing arts have takers in doctors and officers, bankers are not far behind. The pleasure that comes from pursuing a passion keeps one fresh and invigorated to carry out professional commitments.

Chetana Vaishnavi, professor and head, Department of Gastroenterology, PGI, and a poet-author, “poets are born and not made. As far as a wider reach is concerned, this eludes part-time writers and poets like us, as most of the time we are unable to participate in poetic symposiums or seminars and have to be content with the compliments of our readers.”

Nevertheless, these professionals make it a point to find time to nurture their hobbies with a religious zeal.