Hobby – Turns A Successful Career

Summary

The chapter "Hobby Turns into a Successful Career" is from the 8th standard English textbook (Unit 2 - Prose). It presents three inspiring real-life stories that demonstrate how hobbies, when nurtured with dedication and passion, can transform into successful careers.

Section I introduces Mani, a village school boy who initially struggled with reading and writing. His grandfather helped him by reading bedtime stories, which gradually sparked Mani's love for reading and eventually writing. Mani's essay describes how writing became his favourite hobby. He compares writing to "painting our voice" and explains how it helps him relax, imagine fantastical worlds, and entertain small children with his stories. He aspires to become a writer like R.K. Narayan.

Section II tells the story of Ajay Kumar Garg, a talented young artist from Jaipur who became permanently hearing impaired after a medical treatment at the age of three. When his father bought him a paint set, Ajay started painting happily on walls and floors. A court artist named Shri Sua Lal noticed his talent and began training him. Later, under the mentorship of Asha Devi, Ajay mastered the 'Traditional Indian Miniature Painting' technique. He exhibited 150 paintings, sold 144 of them, and was awarded a national award by Indian President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in 2004. Ajay also works for the welfare of hearing-impaired people and aims to revitalise the dying art of miniature paintings.

Section III narrates the journey of Ilavazhagi, a carrom world champion from Chennai. Her father, Mr. A. Irudayaraj, a district-level carrom champion and fish-cart driver, began coaching her from the age of five. Despite financial hardships and living in a small one-room apartment in Vyasarpadi, Ilavazhagi went on to win the Asia Cup, SAARC Championship, and World Championship. She holds 260 medals in national competitions and over 125 medals in international tournaments. Her famous motto is "Victories follow me."

Themes

• Hobby as a Path to Success: The central theme of the chapter is that hobbies, when pursued with dedication, can turn into successful careers. All three protagonists - Mani, Ajay, and Ilavazhagi - demonstrate this.
• Perseverance and Determination: Ajay overcame his hearing impairment to become an acclaimed miniature painter, and Ilavazhagi triumphed over poverty to become a world champion.
• Role of Family Support: Mani's grandfather encouraged his reading habit, Ajay's father discovered his talent by giving him a paint set, and Ilavazhagi's father coached her in carrom from childhood.
• Overcoming Adversity: Both Ajay (disability) and Ilavazhagi (poverty) faced significant obstacles but turned their passions into remarkable achievements.
• Self-Improvement and Lifelong Learning: Mani emphasises the importance of always learning and improving one's hobbies. Ajay continued to master new painting techniques throughout his life.
• Giving Back to Society: Ajay trains hearing-impaired children and orphans for free, and the former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai used his writing hobby for social reformation.

Character Analysis

• Mani: A curious and imaginative village boy who transforms his initial difficulty with reading and writing into a passionate hobby. He is creative, reflective, and aspires to become a great writer like R.K. Narayan. He uses writing to relax, imagine fantastical worlds, and entertain children.
• Ajay Kumar Garg: A resilient and talented artist from Jaipur who overcame permanent hearing impairment to master the art of miniature painting. He is determined, hardworking, and compassionate - giving free training to hearing-impaired children and orphans. His ability to create images on a grain of rice showcases extraordinary skill.
• Ilavazhagi: A courageous and confident carrom champion from a humble background in Vyasarpadi, Chennai. Despite financial difficulties, she remained focused and optimistic, embodied in her motto "Victories follow me." She is disciplined, passionate, and represents India at the world level.
• Mr. A. Irudayaraj (Ilavazhagi's father): A supportive and determined father who channelled his unfulfilled dream of carrom success through his daughter. Despite being a fish-cart driver with limited means, he coached Ilavazhagi from age five and took her to tournaments.
• Mani's Grandfather: A caring and wise elder who noticed Mani's struggle with reading and helped him by reading bedtime stories, ultimately igniting Mani's love for literature.

Literary Devices

• Metaphor: "Writing is like painting our voice" - Mani compares the act of writing to painting, suggesting that writing gives a visual form to one's inner thoughts and voice.
• Quotation: The chapter includes two famous quotes: "Whatever you like to do, make it a hobby" by Warren Buffett, and "Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words" by Mark Twain. These reinforce the themes of pursuing hobbies and the art of writing.
• Narrative Essay Form: Section I is written as a personal essay by Mani, giving readers a first-person perspective on the joy of writing as a hobby.
• Biographical Narrative: Sections II and III use biographical storytelling to present real-life examples of how hobbies became careers, making the content relatable and inspirational.
• Contrast: The chapter contrasts initial challenges (Mani's reading difficulty, Ajay's hearing impairment, Ilavazhagi's poverty) with eventual success, creating a powerful narrative arc.
• Inspirational Tone: The concluding line of Section II - "we can turn our hobby or passion into a successful career, if we are ready to learn and develop our skills" - serves as the moral of the entire chapter.

Important Facts (Do You Know)

• The former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr. C.N. Annadurai, had hobbies of reading and writing. He wrote many books, stories, plays, thought-provoking articles, and cine dialogues which contributed to the reformation of society.
• Ajay Kumar Garg was awarded a national award of accomplishment from Indian President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in 2004.
• Ilavazhagi holds 260 medals in national competitions (106 gold, 17 silver, 12 bronze) and over 125 medals in international tournaments (111 gold, 9 silver, 5 bronze).

Glossary

Grammar Highlights

This chapter also covers important grammar topics:

• Singular and Plural: Special plural forms including 'is' to 'es' (hypothesis/hypotheses), 'um' to 'a' (bacterium/bacteria), 'us' to 'i' (cactus/cacti), vowel changes (man/men, foot/feet), hyphenated words (passer-by/passers-by), and nouns with same singular and plural forms (deer, fish, furniture).
• Compound Words: Formation using Noun+Noun (headmaster, keyboard), Gerund+Noun (dining hall, washing machine), and Noun+Verb (snowfall, sunset).
• Adjectives: Types include Adjectives of Quality, Quantity, Number, Demonstrative Adjectives, and Interrogative Adjectives.
• Degrees of Comparison: Positive, Comparative (-er), and Superlative (-est) forms, including exceptional cases (good/better/best, bad/worse/worst).