Outside the lab
I enjoy learning new things and picking up hobbies, so this is a non-exhaustive list. Dance, however, has been a constant passion all my life. Scroll further to know more about some such interests. Please get in touch if you would like to chat about any of them!
Dance
I have been dancing on the stage from as far back as I can remember. I have trained for 12 years each and earned diplomas in the Indian classical dance forms of Kathak and Bharatanatyam, and have also dabbled in a little bit of Bollywood and Hip-Hop (~5 years) and fusion contemporary and semi-classical (~4 years). Some of my performance videos available on YouTube have been compiled in this playlist.
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I have also had the wonderful opportunity in 2019 to choreograph for, whilst also trying my hand at acting in, a dance-drama play titled Sitayana. This introduced me to the beautiful performing arts of Kabuki and Noh. Presently, I grab the few opportunities that come up to perform on stage as often as I can, but to advance my movement journey I am learning the ancient martial art of Kalaripayuttu.
Cryptics
A much more recent hobby. There is something to be said about the immense satisfaction that comes from solving a clue, fiendish or not. (This article says it better) I consider myself a novice. These days, I mostly (try to) solve the Guardian and the Hindu daily and weekly puzzles (all free to access).
Amateur Astronomy
An interest from childhood that developed into a hobby I do not nurture often enough. On the left is a star trail my brother and I acquired on NYE 2016, off the Mumbai-Pune Highway. Nowadays, my friends and I try to take out a reflector/equatorial whenever Bengaluru weather and hectic PhD schedules allow us to look up.