Do you have something you wanted to learn like dancing or roller skating ever since you were a kid, but couldn’t because life just slipped by between work, family and commitments? Are you at a stage where you are slowly accepting the ‘empty nest syndrome,’ and contemplating what would come of your old age? Well don’t worry! Here are some extraordinary people from Bengaluru who are following their dream, learning new skills and scaling new heights without allowing their age to stop them.
At the age of 50, Venkatesh, an IT professional, decided to try a hand at stand-up comedy. He says, “my dad, wife and I were attending an open mic event at ‘That Comedy Club’ in Koramangala where I signed up for my first show. I was taken aback by the encouragement I received from them. So after that I have been actively pursuing stand-up comedy alongside my corporate job.”
Standup Comedy is only one of his many ventures among many others like running marathons and actively taking part in adventure sports. “Just as exciting it is to be the oldest in the room, it was also astonishing to see so many talented youngsters who deserve to be recognised. So I started a website(www.openmicscore.com) where young artistes can document their performances and the audience can give a quick, live, honest feedback by just scanning a code”, he added.
Venkatesh
“The older crowd come with a pre-set notion about martial arts. Here, we teach them that it is a way of life that you can adapt no matter how young or old you are” says Ashwin Naidu, a 43- year-old instructor at the School Of Martial Arts in Koramangala. “So it is exciting to work with the older crowd because they are very keen on learning, hardworking and willing to take how much ever longer it takes for them to master it. We begin by requesting for complete health check-up and then proceed to teach them,” he added.
“I am in my 40s but I feel like age is just a number and so it shouldn’t stop you from pursuing whatever you want. Rock climbing is like a daily dose of dopamine and it’s very gratifying. It’s like the effects of dancing, meditation and workout, are all combined into one”, says Astha Chaturvedi, a marketing professional from Bengaluru. “It works out muscles sets that I normally won’t use so it’s a full body exercise; cardio, upper and lower body workout and an absolute stress buster”, she added.
“I have always been interested in dancing, so when I realised that Furor was offering salsa lessons close to where I live, I enrolled myself”, says Nisha Rao, a 44-year-old Children’s life skills coach from Bengaluru. “At this age we are a lot more emotionally and financially stable so it has become possible for us to pursuing our passions without getting intimidated by the younger crowd. Also it’s a great way to move out of your comfort zones and socialise and finally invest in yourself”, she added
It is not always about learning a new thing, sometimes it is also about leaving behind something you’ve known for years, and starting afresh. Kalpana Rao was an entrepreneur and motivational speaker her entire life. But at the age of 55, she has closed down her store and shifted focus solely to acting. “I recently moved to Mumbai to pursue acting. I am excited to see what the future brings”, she says. “I did an ad for Vodafone Superfans in which I played cricket for the 1st time in my life and that too with Chris Gayle. It was one of the most exciting roles I’ve done” she added.
—Angel Maria
