This story is from May 5, 2017

City Youngsters Choose Mountaineering And Doodling Over Traditional Careers

City Youngsters Choose Mountaineering And Doodling Over Traditional Careers
They say it isn't work if you enjoy it. While it does seem scary to let go of your well-paying job to follow your passion, there are some Puneites who decided to forego popular career choices like law, medicine, IT and engineering to become doodle artists, pet house designers, gift wrap artists, or even adventure sports enthusiasts. And there's no stopping them as they continue to push their creative boundaries.
On a road less travelled

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After completing her graduation in law, Ishani Sawant realised law wasn't really her cup of tea.Ishani was always inclined towards mountaineering and rock climbing, and she soon decided to take up adventure as a full-time career.
“Mountaineering or rock climbing as a career is unheard of in India,” says Ishani. Of course, her parents were pretty sceptical about it, “All my relatives tried to convince my parents that I was making the wrong decision. Since I come from middle-class family, funding any climbs or taking new equipment was always an issue,” she shares. But soon things took a turn for better when she (and consequently her parent, especially her mother) realised her inherent potential.
For Moses John Sopan, finding the same passion for building pet homes was a dream come true. Moses designs houses for pets that suit their needs and makes them comfortable and a stylish resting place for them. A pet lover himself, he has housed seven stray dogs. It was his personal experience with his pets that led Moses to think about giving pets all the amenities that we normally have in our house. “I have imagined a world where people and pets share the same comfortable and visually-appealing living space,” says Moses adding that he wants to turn it into a reality soon.

For the creatively inclined
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What started out as a hobby and small gift wrapping favour for family and friends, led city girl Amruta Walvekar to give up on a successful marketing job and start a gift-wrapping business. What inspired her to start the venture was her fascination for colourful papers, satins, bows flowers, ribbons and many other creative things. “I have loved stationery from the very beginning and art lessons at school were the only classes I resonated with. It has been a long journey from calling it my hobby of painting greeting cards, and wrapping gifts for friends, to calling it my job,” says Amruta.
The idea struck her when she was working in London after her MBA. “It's a blessing to figure out one's true calling in life, I was lucky to have found a way of life I love very early on. There was no market research involved, just a strong passion for this art and hard work because creativity is infectious,” she adds.
Kesar Khinvasara, a doodle artist, enjoyed drawing random figures or crazily scribbling on books during her college lectures. It guided her towards being a fulltime artist. “Doodling is different from all the other traditional styles. It is a fun way of expressing one's feelings. It can be simply defined as taking a pen and pa per and asking yourself to go on with it. It's an unplanned art,” says Kesar. And this art pays, she discovered later.
Mind over money

Kesar has collaborated with a few international companies and is right now working on wall murals. “I did not plan on taking this up as a career, initially. But gradually, I started liking what I drew. The art form is very popular abroad and is slowing picking up in India too. Right now with a surge in demand for merchandising products', doodling is definitely is here to stay,” informs Kesar.
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Activities that were just hobbies before can now be honed to become vocations. However, it may take some budgeting if there is no security of a fixed income. Moses says, “Off-beat professions come with a huge risk factor. I give away half of the amount I get to the welfare of stray dogs, sometimes most of the amount goes into that. But as an entrepreneur, if you make it through the initial days, then the sense of fulfilment, which you eventually get by living your dreams, is great.“
For Amruta, her work involves beautiful colours and patterns and the freedom to execute each project using her design sensibility. “I love travelling and my work involves plenty of that as well. I host workshops in modern calligraphy and gift wrapping across India where I get to meet very interesting and like-minded people,” she adds.
In contrast to these, Ishani has a couple of climbing projects in the Himalayas and abroad. She is trying to find sponsors for them as the tickets and equipment are too costly. “Although I save so much, I can't fund it myself. I work as an outdoor educator to teach climbing, lead treks and adventure events to fund my adventure trips,” reveals Ishani.
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