Section – I
A boy named Mani had difficulty in reading and writing. His grandfather noticed this and helped him by reading bedtime stories. Gradually, Mani started reading on his own. After some days, he also started writing his own stories. In this section, he wrote an essay on hobbies.
Hobbies are the activities done during our free time. They are special to people. Some people like gardening, a few like photography and many have book reading as their hobby. Hobbies help people to learn new things, relax after a tiring day and energies our body and mind. Mani’s hobby was writing. Though many people feel writing is tough, he felt ‘writing’ was like ‘painting our voice’. When he wrote things, he imagined a world with magic and magicians. Writing opened his mind to think beyond the little things with a broader mind. It made him learn new things and enjoy every moment of his life. His hobby of writing helped him in school too. He could describe things better in his stories. He had no problem in writing English essays or stories, as it was his hobby.
Thus it is important to always learn and improve Our hobbies.
Section – II
Ajay Kumar Garg, a very talented young artist lived in Jaipur, India. He suffered an injury at the age of three and became deaf. His parents tried many hospitals to cure his disability. But it was useless. Ajay used to paint on the walls and floors. Realizing his interest in painting, a court artist of Dholpur, Shri Sua Lai started educating him in painting. After completing his education, Ajay became an apprentice of Asha Devi, who taught him the ‘Miniature Painting’. Soon, Ajay became an ‘accomplished artist’ in the miniature style. He was gifted in the practice of creating images on a grain of rice.
Ajay exhibited his work and sold 144 out of 150 paintings displayed in the exhibition. His work became famous throughout India, the United States and the United Kingdom. In 2004, he was awarded a national award of accomplishment from the Indian President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Ajay also involved in the welfare of people with hearing disability and gave them free training. He has been the executive member of’Deaf and Dumb’ Association in Rajasthan. One of Ajay’s current goals is to re-energize the dying art of traditional miniature Indian paintings. Thus, Ajay’s life shows us that we can turn our hobby into a successful career, if we are ready to learn and develop our skills.
Section – III
Ilavazhagi achieved her dream amidst all odds. Her father, A. Irudayaraj, was a district level champion in Carom. His dream of achieving success in it, shattered, as he was not encouraged and supported by his family members. He determined to achieve his dream through his daughter. So he began coaching her and carried her to the local clubs frequently. She won the match against her father and that gave her the confidence in achieving success. Later she won the Asia Cup, SAARC cup and the world championship.
She lived with her family in a small one-room apartment in Vysarpadi, Chennai. This was not enough to accommodate her family and to preserve her trophies. She has been playing for the state for almost 14 years yet, she found it difficult to finance her trips for the matches.
Ilavazhagi is a member of the Thiruvallur District Carom Association. She also represented India at the Carom World Championships. She won the 2008 Indian National Carom Championship and became a world champion in the women’s singles after beating P. Nirmala in the finals with 25-11, 25-11 victory. Thus her passion for Carom took her to the level of world champion.
