Originally posted in March 2012

For all of you who have been seeing my posts about dogs (adoptions, welfare and anything else! ) on Facebook, irrespective of whether you share the same love or not, there is something I want to share – the first time I have ever sold my baked products was to raise money for a non-profit organization that works towards the recue, rehabilitation and rehoming of abandoned and injured dogs, primarily the Indian stray ones.

As you read this post, at some level it might seem strange, that I chose to link my passion for baking with my love for dogs..well, if you saw Indigree’s mail about their Garage and Bake Sale in the Select Citywalk Mall, it would have excited you too and in that moment of enthusiasm about wanting to contribute, I rushed to offer some basic baked items such as a chocolate cake and some chocolate muffins !

For the longest time I believed that my actions and subsequent achievements were driven by my will and that really was true…But when I decided to bake for the sale, I hit a turning point – for the first time I was driven by my wish and was it scary or what!

So now here’s the thing – Baking was fun when I started out, life really changed when it became fulfilling but selling what you bake was a personal milestone that one seeks to achieve and yet, I wasn’t ready for it. You have to be that much surer of the process, ingredients and appearance….and to be honest, as a home baker, especially so soon I did not have the confidence to sell what I had baked..I could spend a whole evening baking something that I love, but if it didn’t sell especially since it was tied to such an important cause that comprised of passionate individuals constantly struggling to raise funds for these voiceless souls, I knew it could be potentially demoralizing for me…for the simple reason that my skill had not reached a level where it could be of value or help to someone..Yet that that time I had an ardent supporter in my husband who loves dogs too and wanted me to do my bit!

This blog is an indication of combining my multiple passions – writing and baking. When I read about the sale, I knew I could blend my passions again, the common one being baking ! J So it took a while to think through how much I could realistically bake an evening before once I got back from work, to ensure it remains fresh. I had decided to share a chocolate cake and some muffins for one of the Sale days and the same for the last day of sale too (based of course, on whether anyone does actually buy these or not! )…I have never baked for an entire night for any family member or friend and am proud to say that even after a long day at work, it didn’t seem tiring to bake, I really did feel that this could make a difference..and sure did !

At the cost of sounding obnoxiously pompous, I have to admit that when I picked up Shikha ( volunteer at Indigree and organizer of the Sale) called to tell me that my cake and muffins were sold out and if I could make more for the next day, the feeling was inexplicable ! J Nah, wait a minute, it isn’t difficult to explain – technically I had made money through baking and while I was far more thrilled to have done a little bit for our neglected animals, I don’t think making money through my job has given me this kind of a ‘high’!