Is DIY a viable and cost-effective hobby proposition in India - A Smartlife article

Blog DIY Woodworking hobby woodworking Media mention

This is one post that I have been raring to post for a long time. Just wanted April to pass and wanted to ensure due permissions are in place. This was the first time that Woodooz has been featured in the print media and that has been keeping us on cloud 9 all along.

The background : 

The week - Smartlife was doing an article on DIY in India and wanted the opinion of few hobbyists. I had the wonderful opportunity to voice my thoughts along with other DIYers and the article was published last month in the monthly edition of Smartlife.

Thanks to Nisha Ramchandani for being constantly showing interest in what we have been doing in Woodooz and also for referring the blog and our work to Monty who was writing the article.

Thanks to Monty Majeed of The Week for reaching out and for patiently listening to me on the phone for close to 20 odd minutes. Special thanks for wonderfully paraphrasing the conversation.

Thanks to Nathan G of nathangphotography for braving the distance and coming all the way to our place for a mini photo shoot. It was nice meeting up and to hear his inspiring story of how he gave up a plush IT profession to pursue his passion for photography. 

Without further ado, will leave you with the scanned images of the article. If you are the types that prefer the text version, you can read the entire article here.

DIY as a hobby

Indranil of IndianDIY

Sudhakar Prabhu

The blog as been idle for a long time and the last few posts have not been centered around our work. This little motivation has pepped us up quite a bit and we wish to push ourselves to indulge in lots of pending DIY around the home. A lampshade is waiting to be completed, a painting is just half done, and need to start work on a small cabinet to house my tools. And very soon, will populate these projects here. 

Do you agree with the article. What is your opinion on DIY woodworking catching up as a popular hobby ? What do you see as the hurdle in you wanting to jump into this wonderful activity ? Do leave me a comment. 

Carpenter, a community helper

Blog DIY Woodworking hobby woodworking

My cousin invited us over during the weekend to her kid's project day at his school. The theme was "Community helpers". 5-6 kids took up one community activity and had to explain the role of the respective helper in the society. Postal service, Police station, Fire Station, Hospital, School, Agriculture were some of the stalls on display. It was a pleasant surprise to see my nephew take up the role of a carpenter :)

Carpenter - A Community Helper

"I am a carpenter and I do various kinds of wood work. I use these tools to build houses, cots, shelves, chairs", is what the kids were explaining to the onlookers. They had all kinds of woodworking tools on display including a drill, hammer, planer, clamp, chisels, screw drivers, hand saw and more. They also had miniature models of a shelf, couple of chairs and a table. And they were well prepared to take up any question related to what was on display in their stall.

Carpenter and his tools

Carpentry Tools

We went there to cheer for and encourage my nephew and were pleasantly caught unawares to see him explain an activity that I have, in recent times, been so passionately taking up. I liked it that the parents chose a respectable uniform for the mini carpenters despite many insisting on going with the cliched "Lungi". Carpenters, much like many others, work towards making our lives much easier and it is a positive sign to see this thought being instilled in the kids.

Do you agree that carpentry in India can be beyond just a profession and can be a leisure activity that anyone can indulge in ?  Or think it is just another myth ? Leave me your comments.

Due credits : While I did take the pictures, the credit for the charts and the entire set up goes to the parents of the kids and the school faculty.

Linking in : Colours Dekor

Hobbies - The detour from the routine called life

Blog hobby hobby woodworking

In School

Get good grades. Study well. Aim for that elusive first rank. Keep studying. History. Civics. Geography. And the whole thing all over again. While this was the expectation that was set upon me during my early days in school, I was also encouraged to pursue painting as a pastime. I sought every opportunity to spend my spare time with water colors trying to reproduce the painting in the back of Reader’s Digest. This diversion gave me that much needed time off from the nerve-wracking quarterlies, half-yearlies and finals. I was never good at painting (I have hoards of participation certificates, but no prize :P) and  at some point, I realized this is not for me and gave up my aspiration, but the scores of joy it gave me are quite unforgettable.

My 21 year old water color paintings

In college

GRE. TOEFL. MS vs MBA Vs a corporate job. Peer pressure. In the midst of all this, I found a haven in writing – an interest I discovered while writing slam books for my friends in school. I took refuge in poetry and it saw me through all my years in college. It taught me to be my own friend, helped me explore my inner self, and it enabled me to make a verse out of every worse situation. My fervor for writing was never past its best despite the trying outcomes demanded by Engineering. Back in school I had cricket and football to supplement my leisure needs, but in college, I found solace only in poetry. It eventually led me to blogging, blog meets, blog friends and a new social life that I would have otherwise not known. Eventually I gave that up too.

Just another poem on Love

And now

In due course, I moved on from the comforts of my bed from where I used to write. And I took my place in the balcony where I now toil with nails and screws, wood and timber, hammers and pliers. The fascination that I have developed, for what I would call, the basic levels of woodworking is no less than the appeal that writing had in it for me. The idea of building something from scratch (though triggered by a totally different reason), fixing something that is broken, or redoing something that has lost its sheen gives me a kick now. Today, this kick  relieves me from the anxieties and stress that are a result of  all the meetings, travel, calls, projects and the deadlines.

Woodworking as a passion

In all this I realize that as I transitioned from one phase in my life to another, my likes and dislikes changed. And how much ever exciting life is, it is quite easy to get tied up in the routine that it has to offer and a leisure pastime is always required to unshackle oneself from that routine. I have learnt that it didn't matter what hobbies you pursue, but as long as you are focussed, engrossed and excited, it helps entangle you from the tiring, monotonous and sometimes taxing regimen.  

Share your thoughts on this post. Have you ever given up a passion of yours ? How do you break free from your tedious schedule ? What are the favorite activities that you love indulging in ?

- Somu

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Linking in : Colours Dekor

Mobile Phone Charger Holder

Blog hobby woodworking mobile phone charger holder

Drilling nail on the wall is not a viable solution for every requirement, particularly when you are looking for a stand for light weight appliances like mobile phones or IPODs.

Did you come here looking for a Smart phone holder ?  Click on the link for an incredibly easy DIY that will cost you not more than Rs.10

The hanging stand:

The mobile phone charger holderis a wonderful alternative to permanent fixture stands and is useful for holding mobile phones, PDAs, IPODs, and broadband modems. Only requirement for such holders is that they need a charger plug as a support system. The holder hangs on the charger plug itself and does not require any additional hinge support. This is a much better option than to have the phones lay on the floor or a counter or hanging from the charger while charging.

Mobile phone charger holder - The hanging stand

The Inspiration:

This DIY was heavily inspired by a mobile phone charger holderthat I stumbled upon in a duty free shop. However, since it was meant for our broadband modem, I made it slightly bigger. It turned out to be a perfect substitute for placing our broadband modem on a small stool. It was space saving, eliminated the need for a side table and also helped easily hide the clutter of the cables.

Here's a very creative mobile phone charger holder that I just stumbled upon in Pintrest @ makeit-loveit. Amazingly creative.

P.S. Linking in : Line Across My Face, Colours Dekor

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- Somu