More and more Indians indulge in secret passions hidden from family

Jon Bon Jovi once said, “Nothing is as important as passion. No matter what you want to do with your life, be passionate.” Indians, it seems, have taken these lines from the renowned American singer-songwriter seriously these days. Little wonder then that a recent survey done across 14 cities has indicated that more than half of Indians (55%) harbour a secret passion.

The figure touches the 64% mark for people aged between 18 and 25. More and more people these days like to move around with people having similar interest areas — in fact, this is a major criteria for making friends, especially among the younger generation. What’s more, when meeting someone for the first time, over 37% identify themselves through their hobbies and interests as against the traditional topics like profession and marital status. 

Not this alone, one in five respondents across all age groups dedicates at least one hour a day to his/her passion while 18% say that their hobbies and interests is the prime way of making new friends. This method of making friends is more pronounced in younger populations — over 22.5% of Generation Z (18-25 years) makes most of their friends based on their passions as compared to 18% for millennials (26-35 years), 16.5% for the ones aged between 36-45 years. For those over 46 years, the figure drops to just 15%. 

That these secret passions are assuming increasing importance in the lives of Indians can be seen from the fact that 77% of people dedicate at least a quarter of their salaries on their passions every month, and don’t mind even a salary cut so that they get time to pursue the passion. The passion can be anything from eating out, exploring new places, sporting activities, adventure, clubbing, music, watching theatre — for some even shopping is a passion! 

Being a ‘Foodie’ tops the list of most popular passion followed by ‘Explorers’ (those who like to explore and discover new places) which comes a close second. Socialiser comes third — these are the people who love socialising, clubbing and ‘chilling out’. The survey, commissioned by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), throws light on the new roles, definitions and relationships that Indians are now assuming beyond identities based on traditional factors like family, profession and location.

If we talk of Delhi alone, as many as 82.4% Delhiites spend a significant portion of their monthly earnings to pursue their passion. Interestingly, over 63.4% people say even their family and friends are not aware of their secret passions. The propensity to forge friendships on the basis of their passion is highest in Mumbai (30.6%) followed by Jaipur (30.2%). In Delhi 24.3% people make their friends based on their passion, the figure for Pune is 21.4% and Kolkata 19.2%. 

Hyderabadis are most secretive people when it comes to hiding their passion from their families and friends — over 95.7% say their friends, relatives and colleagues aren’t aware of their passion. 
“The Passionista report confirms that Indian travellers’ passions play a critical role in determining how they relate to society, where they travel and how they spend their energies,” said GB Srithar, Regional Director (South Asia, Middle East and Africa), STB. 

“The concept of ‘passionista’ is aligned with the STB’s brand “Passion Made Possible” and gives a peek into how Indians see themselves, who they connect with and how they channel their passions into something meaningful,” he said, adding, “People travel to satiate their passions, they seek unique experiences and are willing to spend their time and money in these pursuits.”