Hidden talents: 'I utilised lockdown period to hone my music and dance skills'

Hidden talents and hobbies are only discovered in the hardest of time -- I learnt this soon after the lockdown was imposed. Amid the increasing cases of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, schools and other educational institutions were shut down, which allowed students and teachers to continue with their learning and teaching activities from the comforts of their homes. For me, this lockdown seemed to be golden opportunity to unleash my creative side, by exploring new hobbies and talents. My love for artistic beauty enabled me to use this period more productively. Learning how to explore new types of art forms, including Mandala, Mosaic, and shadings and landscapes, kept me busy throughout the period.Online art classes conducted by the school inspired me to continue exploring new types of art forms. For me, artistic beauty not only means drawing and painting but also it includes dance, music and creative writing. Dance and music is something for which I had always a wonderful taste. I have been learning Kathak, one of the classical Indian dance forms, through online classes and I also gave my first online practical exam. This dance form always had a special place in my heart as it has its ancient history and grace that always inspired me to keep learning it. Besides Kathak, I have also developed interest in music. During the lockdown period, everything came to a stand still and movie theatres were closed down. But one thing that never stopped was music. People expressed their gratitude t the corona warriors through songs. This ignited my desire to learn more and more songs with each passing day. Music was the only way through which I could express my feelings for the corona warriors. For this, we also held a school assembly and expressed our gratitude to them by singing a song. This lockdown period taught me that everyone is gifted but only a few people perceive it. And I'm sure that I'll continue learning new skills to inspire my inner artist.