Late bloomer?

Picking up essential skills such as cooking, driving and swimming after 30 is challenging but not impossible. Here are some people who did it
While some people want to make millions or climb Mount Everest, others have more modest ambitions. Picking up essential skills such as swimming, riding a bike, cooking or driving after 30 can be a challenge. If you’ve not learnt these when you’re younger, it could take longer to get past hurdles like co-ordination, balance and memory that’s a wee bit less sharp than it was in the first flush of youth.That hasn’t stopped certain brave Mumbaikars from taking on the challenge of updating their skills quota. Here are some inspiring stories from people who have gone forth and conquered:
Swim against time
Vandana Hiranandani (50)
Bandra resident Vandana Hiranandani decided to learn swimming two years ago when she turned 50. The half century mark did not deter her from diving into the deep end of the pool, literally speaking. So what motivated her to take the plunge? Vandana says, “I used to watch my children swim and wanted to join the fun. On vacations, I would sit around the pool and watch them in the water. Also, it’s a great way to stay fit. Unlike walking, it exercises your whole body.”
Vandana had made an attempt to learn when she lived in Bangkok a few years ago, but the lessons had to be cut short as domestic duties demanded her attention. “I have three kids and as they were young then, I didn’t have much time for myself. Two years ago, when I decided to take it up again properly in Mumbai, I was a bit scared. But I learnt to swim without using the float,” she says proudly. She took to the water like a fish and is also rather happy with the way her body has toned up.
The hardy swimmer even learnt to drive at the age of 40. “The fear is in your mind. It has nothing to do with age. If you want to do it, you will. If you don’t, you never will.
A taste for cooking
Madhulika Dash (30)
Madhulika Dash, 30, decided to learn cooking to please her taste buds. She says, “After 30, we are more apprehensive about what people think of us. Learning these skills is liberating.” Madhulika hails from Assam and Mumbai’s idea of cooking, ie a mishmash of every flavour in a single dish, doesn’t appeal to her. She says, “At 30, you suffer from memory lapse. Now I can’t tell the difference between say, two different kinds of mirchis. I wanted to know why my food here doesn’t taste the same as home food. I’ve even carried two litres of water through customs from Assam to see if that was why my cooking tasted different!”
She finds that cooking is a better stress buster than a good workout. She jokes, “The best baingan bartha is made when you’re the most stressed!”
Mudita Ghia (31)
Mudita Ghia, 31, decided she couldn’t ignore cooking after she got married. She jokes, “When I started living separately with my husband, I decided to learn to cook given that now I don’t have my mum to take care of me!” Though the couple has a Maharashtrian cook, Mudita prefers Gujarati food. So she decided she would learn the art of making a good thepla. She turns to cook books and a friend, who has the patience of a saint, is helping her master the art. She says, “It isn’t rocket science, but I guess I just have no interest in cooking. So I’m not particularly anxious about learning exotic dishes, but ambitious about finding a better cook!”
Namrata.Bhawnani@timesgroup.com