Time well spent

TNIE speaks to techies, who have given wings to their passion, despite busy work schedules
Diya Sudarsanan
Diya Sudarsanan
Updated on
5 min read

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Leisure is usually a lazy word. But in the Indian corporate workspace, this downtime brims with activity, something which has equal, if not more, zest as shown at work.

This lazy leisure is synonymous with a self-enhancing process with serious, person-building overtones. Its importance has grown so considerably that now head honchos employ advanced mathematical formulae to compute the benefit of extending leisure benefits to their employees. The management institutes draft courses such as leisure management so that those skilled at it can do big business.

And in the leisure spectrum, IT professionals in Thiruvananthapuram lead right in the front. Probably because they, like their ilk in the rest of the country, consider leisure the fruit they have earned after slogging it out in office. To most, it is to get out of the monotony of the work week.

And once the weekend dawns, the impressive skills they display at work make room for talents and interests tucked away in corners of their mind spaces. They can then be seen moving towards the singing classes with a hum in their voice, hitting the training track for marathons, creating artwork, being the shutterbug in style, etc.

Some jack of all trades amid the high-focus group flaunt their leisure activities to such an extent that even those without intense passions feel the urge to do something.

Kesia Elsa Raju, a process lead at RM ESI in Technopark, is someone who longs for weekends when she can hit the Brothers Boxing Academy in Thiruvananthapuram. She developed a passion for boxing after dedicating hours in front of the television taking in the WWE with her cousins. “We used to imitate their matches, become our favourite personas,” she smiles.

Saranya Arun
Saranya Arun

It probably remained dormant in her partly because there were no boxing clubs in her hometown Thiruvalla and also because she was focused on her studies. After she moved to Thiruvananthapuram, Kesia decided to pursue her passion. The focus with which she built her IT dreams came into play here too, and she bagged a gold medal at the 2024 International Arm Boxing Championship held in Kathmandu.

Santhosh Kumar S, a software engineer at an MNC in Technopark, finds it worthwhile to balance technical expertise and personal interests. Honoured with the 2023 State Farm Award for his innovative contributions to agricultural technology, Santhosh has transformed his 10-cent plot into a model of advanced farm automation.

“My cost-effective solution, built on open-source software, can be adapted for various farming methods,” he says. His efforts have not only enhanced his own farming practices but have also made an impact on local schools. At Govt Model LPS, Chempazhanthy, and Kazhakkoottam GHSS, hydroponic farming initiatives under his guidance are under way. Santhosh’s achievements are supported by his family — his wife Karthika, also a software engineer, and their daughter Niranjana, a Class VIII student.

If it was the love of farms for Santosh, it was the love of frames for Naseer Badarudeen, a programme manager at an MNC in Technopark. A passion for filmmaking may have lurked somewhere in him over the 21 years spent in IT, which he then put into action during his free weekends.

The product was the film ‘Mazhachillukal’, which received significant acclaim, encouraging him to delve deeper into filmmaking. “It was my escape from work. I direct, write scripts, and produce films, and it has become a true passion. My accidental entry into filmmaking has now become a part of my identity,” Naseer says.

Anand Reghunathan
Anand Reghunathan

Pradeep, working at another MNC in Technopark, began his acting career with a short film directed by a colleague. From this initial project, his acting journey flourished, leading him to roles in mainstream Malayalam movies such as CBI 5 and John Luther. His latest project is Blockbuster Days, directed by Abinand Pradeep.

Beyond farm and frames, Saranya Arun is amused by the palate and its variants and hence moved on from IT to the restaurant business, combining professional expertise with personal passion. As the owner of Saranyaa Mess, Saranya has expanded her family’s restaurant business with three outlets near Technopark.

“While I enjoyed my time in IT, I found myself increasingly drawn to the idea of building something that could make a tangible impact in my community. The opportunity to take over and expand my family’s restaurant, Saranyaa Mess, allowed me to combine my love for food with the love of being an entrepreneur,” says Saranya.

She also wanted to create a space that celebrates traditional cuisine. “It’s been a challenging yet incredibly fulfilling journey,” she adds.

The call of the wild is what Anand Reghunathan, an employee at an MNC in Technopark, responded to. His wildlife photography has been featured on platforms such as BBC Earth and Nature in Focus, with one of his images even reaching the final round of the Natural History Museum 2021 International Contest.

Her work as a product manager an MNC has not stopped Diya Sudarsanan from balancing her love for watercolour art. Not only that she paints, she helps professionals like her learn and appreciate the art form through both online and in-person workshops.

Also sharing Divya’s interest in art is Vandana Raghavan Vadukate, an amployee at Technopark. She creates wall murals and participates in art exhibitions such as Urban Sketches at Kerala Sahitya Academy. Another side to her dabbles in extempore speeches. She is a finalist in the Toastmasters District 121 level Table Topics competition.  

More among art lovers is Anamika L S, another techie. Her taste is in mono act and dance, for which she scoops out time from her busy schedule. The result of all that time and focus is the first prize she won for mono act at the Tarang 2k23 Inter-Company Cultural Arts Fest.

The leisure space that dawns by the weekend is what powers them for the rest of the week when they have to dive into high-intensity work, the IT folk say.

The soul-destroying monotony breaks, and new doors open, some deep into one’s self and some as professions that could also be followed with passion. The time thus spent, therefore, is more than worth it, they claim.

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