Building friendships around shared interests

Friends that share a hobby | Photo Credit: triloks Not every friendship needs to be built on late-night conversations or decades of shared history. Sometimes, all it takes is one shared interest. You meet because you enjoy the same thing, spend a couple of hours doing it together and head back to your lives.We do not really have a name for these relationships beyond “buddy.” Yet most of us have one.Take Daniel K, a businessman, who met his coffee buddy at a coffee appreciation workshop in Bengaluru in 2024.“Since we were both obsessed with coffee as a bean, we started exchanging notes on what to try,” says Daniel. “Then we realised we were both from Hyderabad. We swapped numbers and became coffee buddies. One of us discovers a new café or roast, we meet, taste it together and head home. We chat about other things too, but coffee is usually the reason we meet.”For Daniel, that is exactly the appeal. Their meetups are short, purposeful and centred around something they both genuinely enjoy. “Of course I drink coffee with other friends too,” he laughed.Shared purposeAt a pottery class in Goa, Hyderabad-based media professional Priya B met café owner Yogi Shetty. They started as classmates and soon became pottery buddies.“I signed up because I was curious,” Priya said. “Working with Yogi helped me appreciate aesthetics and functional design through the lens of someone who runs a café. We still exchange workshop announcements, notes and learnings, even when we’re attending different classes.”Samyukta M, a postgraduate student, explains it with an analogy most people can relate to.“Remember your chemistry lab partner? They weren’t always your friend, or even part of your group. You met because you had something to do together. That’s what a buddy is,” she said. “Ankita Purkayasta and I are exhibition buddies. We bumped into each other at a flea market at 2025, while trying out food. After that we when we met again at another event within a month we exchanged numbers. Since then we have been buddies. We visit textile, jewellery and handicraft exhibitions — not necessarily to shop, but to see what’s new. We’re both fascinated by handlooms, so every exhibition becomes a chance to learn about new weaves, techniques and pricing.”For software professional Ashish Das, a gym buddy is practically a necessity. His gym buddy, Sravan G is into business, they have been working out over past two years.“If my gym buddy doesn’t show up, my workout suffers,” he said. “He knows exactly when I need a spot, pushes me to lift heavier and occasionally lends me emergency protein powder.”Their friendship began simply because they trained at the same time and followed similar workout routines which rolled over into a friendship where they have travelled together with their respective families. “It took us some time to get their because of our work schedule and children’s holiday etc,”added Sravan.Then there are buddies created entirely by routine.Raghu Goswami, who works in advertising, remembers the man who unknowingly became his Mumbai local companion.“I never called Udhab Bose, banker my train buddy, but that’s exactly what he was,” he said. “He boarded at the same station every day. For months, all we exchanged was a hello. Eventually, we became the kind of people who helped each other squeeze into packed trains and kept an eye out for pickpockets.”These friendships may not fit the traditional idea of a best friend, but they quietly enrich everyday life. Published - July 30, 2026 06:31 pm IST