A passion for creative pursuits

Collecting stamps, coins and post-cards, painting, knitting and needle work, cooking and baking, scrapbooking, reading, music, dance, solving crossword puzzles and creative writing were but a few of the popular hobbies that young students of the pre-computer age were familiar and involved with zealously.

One would spend much of his free time, mesmerised in the hobby at hand.

A hobby is a regular activity that is done for pleasure during one’s leisure moments.

It ensures that one’s free time was constructively spent with joy. 

Unfortunately, the concept of a hobby is forgotten in a world lost in technology related pursuits.
Video games, e-chats, social media, networking, simulated rides, 24X7 TV entertainments, computer-based entertainment such as skype chats and YouTube videos and the many applications that smartphones offer have raided the leisure activities of the majority of youth.

The small minority who still manage to engage themselves in the acquisition of some art, do so either for an extrinsic advantage to their profile or because they are pushed to do so by their institutions or guardians.
Pursuing a meaningful hobby for the sheer pleasure and intrinsic vales that such activities offer is on the verge of extinction. Yet, reviving this habit of following a hobby could well shape the personality of a young­ster in ways that will lead to a well-rounded development.|

Range of benefits

When hobbies are passionately pursued, a wealth of benefit awaits a youngster. Chief among them is the kindling curiosity, fuelling his mind with interest and inquisitiveness necessary for mental growth. 

A hobby channelises energy, focuses the mind, brings dexterity to the limbs and adds an element of fun in learning new skills.

It acts as a stress reliever in  times where children are becoming victims of high stress levels leading to several juvenile illnesses that are easily avoidable.
It can add meaning to free time and keep a child engaged in constructive ways. 

With a hobby at hand, a youngster is absorbed and can shake away from the shackles of addictive and destructive distractions such as video-based games, shows and other technology- driven entertainments. 

Hobbies pave the way for a broad spectrum of interests in young minds.
After all, it is a fact that nothing will interest the mind until the mind is interested in something.
Tuning the mind to take notice of specific areas of interest in leisure time will unleash creativity and enhance cognitive thinking.
 This eventually will broaden the personality.

Research has also proved that hobbies enhance social skills and other finer qualities of attentiveness, concentration, patience, perseverance and confidence.

Hobbies are as they break away the monotony of study its related projects.
Quite an impressive number of professionals and celebrities found their strengths and calling from what started off as hobbies.

Our very own Grand Master Anand Vishwanathan is one such illustrious example.

What started out as a past time and a hobby took him to great fame and unparalleled success in the field of chess.

Therefore, hobbies  are also a great barometer in determining individual interests and developing them meaningfully for professional excellence.

Contemporary hobbies

It is a reality that some of the hobbies of yesteryears have become quite irrelevant and in fact defunct in modern times.
Collecting postal stamps (philately) for instance, is almost out of the question as postal mail is hardly used by anyone today. 

E-mails and SMS dominate communication, both business and personal, and thus the usage of stamps has dipped dramatically.
However, there is still a broad panorama of hobbies to choose from, for any student with a desire to inculcate the habit of a hobby on a daily basis.
From photography to jewellery making and from volunteering at an animal shelter to running marathons, hobbies are dime a dozen. 

Keeping in mind the fruits of inculcating hobbies, schools and colleges should promote  hobbies among its students. Forming clubs of literature, singing, dance, needle work, writing, drama, archery, photography, and sports at school or college level is a good starting point.

When this is encouraged by parents and guardians at home, the lost habit of hobbies can certainly be revived.
And we can bring about a well-rounded development for our youngsters.