Haven for hobbyists

I'M GOING to mouth a platitude. That I can accredit it (the platitude) with my own experience justifies me in doing so. Here is it: To make life less meaningless or more meaningful one has to develop an interest in some activity. One may not get an Oscar or a Nobel or a Booker for doing it, but its importance could never be exaggerated. It could be the flywheel of one's life. Sometimes, the only help in keeping one's sanity in an insane world.

Now the experience: Over the years I've met some interesting people - a software professional who wants to be a Tamil writer, a film actor who's got green fingers, a chartered accountant who's also a danseuse, a retired bank officer who's a book collector, a journalist who collects stamps, a photographer who talks about Internet telephony and an accountant who can hum a tune.

These people may not agree on the choice of a hobbyhorse, but they would in one voice acknowledge the importance of having a bee in the bonnet and keeping it buzzing.

Listed below are websites on activities which are widely seen as fitting the definition of a hobby.

Birding: wildbirds.com, rarebirds.com, theaviary.com, nestbox.com, birdsource.org, birder.com, thebirder.com, ebirder.com and mybirding.com.

Crafts: getcrafty.com, i-craft.com, crafttown.com, craftplanet.com, freepatterns.com, craftcentralstation.com and decorating4less.com.

Cooking: ichef.com, chefsecret.com, welfed.com, chefeasy.com, cyberchefs.net, cheftalk.com, foodsubs.com, foodies.com, foodmagic.com, foodstop.com, kitchenkeeper.com, creativekitchen.co.uk, gastronomer.com, webicurean.com and inquisitivecook.com.

Pets: dogsindia.com, animalbytes.com, barkingbuddies.com, crazyfordogs.com, concerningpets.com, centralpets.com, newpet.com, petshub.com and thepetchannel.com.

Stamps: stamp.net, stampquest.com, filateli.com, astamps.com, artgonepostal.com, slsabyrd.com, stamphil.com, south-pole.com and stampnews.co.uk.

Gardening: gardenweb.com, gardeners.com, allaboutlawns.com, thegardenhelper.com, gardenernet.com, gardenreview.com, thegardenlink.com, noproblemgarden.com, gardentimeonline.com, gardenguider.com, plantideas.com, mrgrow.com, gardentown.com, gardenretreat.com and familygardening.com.

Scrapbooking: creativescrapbooking.com, scrapbookaddict.com, scrapnetwork.com, thescrapbasket.com, scrapbookbyalli.com, lolsb.com and learn2scrapbook.com.

Climbing: climbersguide.com, climbonline.com, mountaineers.net, cascadeclimbers.com, climbcentral.com, camp4.com, vertical- adventures.com, treeclimbing.com and treeventures.com.

Hiking: dayhiker.com, thebackpacker.com, trailwalk.com and trailweb.com.

Fitness: justmove.org, efit.com, fitnessonline.com, getfit.com, sportfit.com, workoutplan.com, fitmoves.com, fitnesslink.com, cybercise.com and thefactsaboutfitness.com.

A few years ago I wouldn't have seen fitness as a hobby. (Fighting gravity with clods of iron has never been my idea of a good time.) But now having met some people who pursue the activity with the animated interest of a hobbyist, I had no problem listing the category here.

To many of us fitness is a game where one has to lose to win. But there's more to fitness than just losing weight. These websites cater for allround fitness needs.

Cloudwatching: cloudgazing.com and cloudman.com

Home Brewing: howtobrew.com, brewcraft.com.au and grapeandgranary.com

Magic: magic-interactive.com, magictheater.com, magicland.org, tmagicz.com, ultimatemagic.com, coolmagictrick.com, magicianscorner.co.uk, truemagic.com and mysticalmagician.com.

Dance: narthaki.com, kuchipudi.com, kadamb.org, bhaaskara.org, kirtikalamandir.com and gaudiyanritya.com.

Music: musicindiaonline.com, indianmelody.com, melodyjunction.com, raaga.com, musiccurry.com and dhadkan.com.

Handwriting Analysis: handwriting.org.

Pottery: studiopottery.com and potters.org.

Candlemarking: candlecauldron.com.

Bubbles: bubbles.org.

Treasure Hunting: treasurenet.com and melfisher.com.

Beachcombing: beachcombers.org.

Skipping: iskip.com.

Juggling: juggling.org.

Firewalking: firewalking.com and http://firewalking.org. A disclaimer would be very much in place here. Though these websites excited my sense of wonder, let me tell you that just browsing these websites would not put you in line for a safe walk through fire. Firewalking is a science (I am given to believe) that has to be learnt. If you attempt anything as zany as that and burn your fingers (well, feet in this case), please don't blame me!

Knotting: realknots.com

PRINCE FREDERICK

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