TV actors with unusual hobbies

For some of television actors, life does not end in just facing the camera. They return home and begin to put their creativiity to further use. In making time for their passion, they not only find it exhilarating to create new things, but it also helps them to unwind...
Rishina Kandhari
“My mother Kalpana Awasthi, is a very creative lady and has been my teacher in all things creative.I have grown up watching my mother make fountains, waterfalls, bonsais and ikebanas, doing table decoration and gardening in her free time. She would make me sit with her while she sat down to create these things. She encouraged me to do the same in my free time, instead of wasting my time on video games and TV. That’s how I developed many hobbies. Nowadays, it gets little difficult for me to sit for hours and finish things at one go due to my hectic working schedule, so I divide the days and assemble my indoor waterfall accordingly. The days when I am not shooting, you will find me doing some or the other creative stuff instead of social networking. But I do love posting pictures to showcase my handiwork. My next plan is to make a wall mountable fibre waterfall with my mom’s help.”
Gaurav Gera “My balconies are filled with plants which I love to tend to. Back home in Gurgaon at my parents’ home, we have always had a variety of plants in the kitchen garden and the terrace garden. That is where I have picked up my love for plants and gardening. When I was new in Mumbai and staying on rent, it was not possible for me to have lots of plants, but I bought a house of my own 10 years ago and managed to create space for my plants. In fact, when I was busy working for a musical show in Delhi and had to be away from Mumbai for long, I had employed a maid just to look after my plants and tend to them. I have many beautiful, exotic plants at my place and I love to collect more... if I see something at my shoot locations, I carry a cutting to plant it at home. I treat my plants like friends, since they are live and make food. I generally pass my time talking to them.”
Abhinav Shukla
“Carpentry is a good way to put one’s creative, technical and muscular skills to use. I developed the hobby out of a need to make a durable and customised work bench as I was getting way-too-expensive work benches that were not even a perfect fit for my room. Then, I started enjoying the process of creating stuff out of wood. I have so far made new tables, benches, mini-bars, bamboo glasses, beds, outdoor furniture apart from salvaging discarded wooden furniture. Lately, I have made outdoor stools and side tables for a barbecue place from a fallen tree. My latest addition to my hobby is painting, staining and making 3D sketches on furniture, which I am developing further.”
Sai Deodhar
“It all started when I got pregnant six years back. I used to crave for a lot of sweet things, so I started baking and then there was no looking back. Today, without any formal training I can bake all kinds of cakes, buns, doughnuts, brownies, mud pies, croissants, chocolate éclairs and even, bread at home. Earlier it was Shakti (Anand) who liked all that I baked and now my daughter Nakshatra is a big fan of my baked goodies. Since she and her friends keep on demanding for more, I keep experimenting, to indulge them in treats. My daughther is also my biggest critic, but if she likes something then she gives it ‘the best in the world’ award. Despite my busy shooting schedule, I manage to find time to bake — even if it means baking in the night, post my shoot.”
Priyal Gor “One of my friends who writes, inspired me to develop this hobby and that is how I started writing poetry three years back. I pen down my thoughts in English as well as Hindi. I write for myself, and only make very people close to me read my stuff at times. I have no intention of getting it published. I pursue writing whenever I get time like once in two months. For me, it’s like a stressbuster — I don’t feel low at all, as I can translate my thoughts, feelings and emotions in poetry.”
Gulfam Khan “Along with painting and creating pieces of arts, I like making things out of waste. From making jewellery out of paper to lanterns out of soda cans, I think everything we use can be recycled. Whether it is plastic bottles or packaging material, there can always be another use for it. I think this planet has done so much for us that it’s high time we did our bit for the Earth and try to reduce garbage as much as possible. It’s amazing how trash can turn into a piece of art. I’m doing it since childhood, but I seriously got interested in it in high school when I saw a man make garden artefacts from waste cans on a TV show.”
Pushtie Shivshakti “I am fascinated by the American Indians. It was while reading more about them that I came across the concept of dreamcatchers. The science behind it is really beautiful. Just when I was thinking of learning it, a friend asked me to join a course with her. I did a lot of research after learning how to make them, which enhanced my skills. It’s been two-and-a-half years now of making dreamcatchers. I set aside time especially to work on them, because I also chant while making them and if I don’t know a particular chant then I take the help of the internet or get a CD and listen to it. For instance, when I was making a dreamcatcher for someone who wanted to have a baby, I actually heard the entire 'Garba stotram' for as long as I was making it and was visualising the person having a baby. I was very excited when the person for whom I had made the dreamcatcher told me that she was pregnant by the end of the month. So, it’s a real good feeling to see the effect of the dreamcatchers in the lives of people for whom I have made them.”
Digangana Suryavanshi
“I was 5-years-old when I made up a song and asked Maa to write it for me. At 10, I could write them myself, and on my 15th birthday, my first book of lyrics came out, followed by my first novel ‘Nixie The Mermaid And The Power Of Love’. Writing is like a daily routine for me... it’s something that can’t be learned but is the clearest way of expression, whether it is through songs, scripts, or novels. I just love putting down what I see, feel and understand in different ways as it gives me peace and opportunity to think about things that I probably wouldn’t otherwise. Besides this, singing makes me happy and music really has a strong impression on me. These two are as close to me as acting. I still write songs on paper, or on my laptop that I carry along. Whenever there’s a break, I write. I am strongly inclined to writing that is why I am create time for it despite a busy schedule.”