Forms of art in my life

From my childhood, all forms of art - be it dance, music, stitching, knitting, drawing, drama were part of my daily schedule. And now, after so many years, when i look back at what i have achieved in life, apart from just professional success as a software engineer, these so called "extra curricular" talents are the actual ones that make me feel satisfied and as a "special" person.
When people ask me "You dance?? You sing ?? You stitch ?? Wow...", it makes me feel elated and a sense of gratitude goes out to my parents who aspired to see me as an all rounder and hence provided me a chance to learn everything......and my teachers who taught me all this.
I was not born with a silver spoon but everything in life came pretty easily to me, thanks to my parents' never-say-die attitude. They were prepared to do their best to make us happy people...

Coming to my art, the most cherished talent i feel is the art of my expression that has come to me through dance. It has helped me take a new turn in understanding people, their expressions, situations and I succesfully respond to all of them. Also what dance has taught me is the power of silence. A danceuse remains silent throughout the dance. Yet she conveys a lot of meaning through her eyes and body. Not that being silent helps a big deal. But people should learn to keep quite when they HAVE to. Opening up unnecessarily makes way for lot of arguments.....this too i learnt after lot of experiences.

Music, another art form, which runs parallel to dance for me, is something that has given me the power to voice out. I have never been an introvert ever since. Stage fear kind of disappeared the moment i started to sing. I have performed shows in many places, as a child and even when i grew up. Singing made me feel powerful and equipped. And as they say, music releases so many toxins and tension that body becomes very light and easy.

As a high school student studying in Tamilnadu, i faced lot of tension, competition & study pressure in academics. My parents were desperate to make me an engineer at any cost but i was to get a free seat in a decent college, for which marks were vital. With everyone getting 95 and 96%, it was a tough job for a OC candidate for me......
Music was the only thing that gave me the relaxation i needed at that level and it made me unwind pretty fast and later come back to the same level of seriousness.
I would really suggest people at high stress levels to take up either singing or listening to music or learning some instrument at free intervals.

As a kid, i did my schooling in Calcutta where "Work education" or Art classes, were in vogue for school kids. West Bengal was already a land of arts. I was taught Yoga, hand stitching, wollen knitting, crotia, making handkerchiefs, scarves etc.
This was a 4-yr schedule along with regular subjects. And now, till date, i havent forgotten even a thing that i have learnt, thanks to my sound basics and dedicated teachers.

Now, i have settled down as a professional in the software industry and a married person that too. These small things that i know make me go a long way in planning small things for my household as well as making my people feel proud for what i have in me.
For instance, I do my own embroidery on my clothes, I do up design patterns on pillows, bedspreads, hankies, make Crotia covers, wollen knitting etc, making small money purses, etc etc which may seem silly at times but are my way of personalising my things.
I sing when i am free and my family is proud about that. I have performed many shows in temples, stages and functions.

Cooking, i feel is another form of art, which is by far the most useful art i have come across. I have learnt my basics from my parents and
Thanks to all this talent, I also used to head the music club & fun club at my workplace.

What i would like to convey through all this, is that, life is a long journey. Just family, studies and career is not everything in life.
A person's worth is calculated by not just his salary but the value he brings to the table as an all rounder.