05 September,2026 09:13 AM IST | Mumbai | Devashish Kamble
A still from The Legend of Mi Yue. Pics Courtesy/Youtube
I fell in love with languages, particularly Mandarin, while working as a dubbing artist. I wanted to understand language behind the voices I was dubbing for - what the words meant, what the characters were saying.
I didn't join a class or have a tutor. Instead, I designed my own learning programme. I watched YouTube videos, read Mandarin texts, watched Chinese dramas like Veil of Shadows, and The Legend of Mi Yue, tried to recognise characters, looked up words I didn't understand, and tried to figure things out through context.
It wasn't always easy. There were moments of frustration when a sentence looked unfamiliar, or when I couldn't keep up with the characters. But it was all a part of the process. Every time I understood a sentence without needing a translation, it felt like a small victory.
I have now completed the HSK 1 certification, and am looking forward to continuing towards HSK 3. There is a long way to go, but that is what makes the journey exciting.
Maitreya Bapat, 28, actor and voice artiste
I have wanted to learn the ukulele ever since I was 12 years old. Unfortunately, my parents shot down my requests as I was growing up. Eventually, I bought a ukulele with my first salary when I turned 20.
I have always found people who could play an instrument interesting. I told myself that if I could somehow learn the ukulele, I'd gain some of the confidence and charm that I found so attractive in musicians.
I sat through hours of YouTube tutorials, and taught myself the first few chords. The good thing about the ukulele is the short learning curve, which makes it ideal for beginners like me. I'm getting pretty good at it, and the experience has ticked every box I had imagined. I am a lot more confident now, and having a skill has genuinely made me like myself a little more.
Kanishka Pal, 25, educator
I was an All India Rank 1 Chartered Accountant in 2011. A job at a âBig Four' firm came next. I spent a few years in the corporate world before deciding to quit, and pursue art. Art allowed me to slow down, reconnect with myself, and come to terms with what I truly wanted from life.
In 2019, I spent nine months backpacking across Europe, travelling through more than 10 countries. I visited galleries, met artists, and spent a lot of time simply observing. That journey changed the way I looked at art and at life and also helped me teach myself.
The contrast between the natural world I knew as a child in the Konkan, and the busy cities I later grew up in continues to influence what I make, as do my own experiences, memories, and the places I encounter along the way.
Maitreyee Nimbolkar, 37, visual artist
