4.Chapter 8.S.St.Leisure Time

Chapter 8

Leisure Time

It is true that all work and no playpor can make anyone dull!  How can you study, work in the office or at home all the time?  You need time to relax and refresh your body and mind.  The time that you spend away from your routine work is known as leisure time.  Each person enjoys different leisure time activities.  It may be sports, games, music, dance, reading stitching, embroidery, pottery, gardening, etc.  era SFS Leisure time is the time for refreshing and relaxation.  wobota People have enjoyed various leisure activities since ancient times.  Some activities were enjoyed individually and some in groups.  The favorite leisure time activities in olden times were ball games, chariot racing, playing with marbles, or painting the walls of their caves.  People also enjoyed hunting, swimming, boating, boxing, horse riding, etc.  62

Many traditional leisure time activities, like archery, boxing and swimming are still popular and are competed at international level today, Sports and games can be played indoors or outdoors.  Both have different advantages but the purpose is the same - enjoy, relax and refresh!  The choice of the game / sport depends our personal interest, convenience and capacity.  All sports and games help us to keep fit and enjoy ourselves.  on Olympic Games Indoor Games Some popular indoor games are chess, ludo, carrom, marbles, monopoly, RO scrabble, Chinese checkers, boxing, ice hockey, karate, table tennis, squash, etc.  Indoor games have many advantages.  They can be played throughout the year as seasonal changes do not affect them.  They are very popular where the space is limited, weather is unreliable or the area is polluted.  Moreover, many indoor games help the elders and the children to play together and bond in a fun filled way as well as compete with opponents.  EST Some indoor games, like table tennis, squash, billiard and snooker, require special equipment and a hall.  They are played and watched by thousands of people.  Games, like badminton, volleyball and basketball, can be played indoors as well as outdoors.  Do you know?  Chess, an internationally famous mind game, is believed to have originated in India from the ancient game of Chaturanga - a Sanskrit word, referring to the four branches of the army.  It was played on a board of 64 squares consisting of four opposing players.  Historians believe that the game might have been played for division of land among different clans.  Later on, the Persians created Shatranj, that is close to modern day chess.  63

Many people enjoy reading Do You Know?  books, painting or follow hobbies Gymnasium or 'Byms' have become like video games, solving popular in cities and towns.  They Sudoku or crossword, etc.  have exercise equipment and trainers to guide the people in fitness and strength building, Outdoor Games Indoor games are very good but we cannot ignore the importance of outdoor games.  After spending long hours in a classroom, you want to play in fresh air in the open playground.  Similarly the older people also look forward to some outdoor activity.  It supplies fresh air to the lungs, refreshes the mind in a natural environment and keeps the body fit.  Everyone enjoys freedom from enclosed space, stale air and Cocooned Do You Know?  environment.  Moreover, most outdoor sports involve large number of people Fair play is respect for rules, and hence, develop the qualities of team members, opponents, team spirit, cooperation, tolerance and referees as well as fans, leadership The outdoor sporting activities have a greater  mass appeal as compared to indoor ones.  Without a doubt, Cricket is the most popular game in India.  Indians enjoy all formats of the game, whether test or one day match or twenty - twenty.  Cricket is played, watched in stadiums or even on television by thousands of people.  The national game of India is Hockey.  At one time India was a world champion and now our hockey players are trying to regain the same position with training and determination.  The other popular outdoor games are football, lawn tennis, polo, horse riding, etc.  Kabbadi and Kho - Kho have been popular in India since olden times especially in rural parts.  But in recent times kabbadi has become very popular.  Both the games are very good for physical fitness, quickness of movement, mental alertness and team spirit.  Moreover, they do not require any expensive equipment and can be played anywhere.  Kabbadi 64

Many people enjoy cycling, skating, walking or logging in parks.  Yoga classes are also a great attraction in parks and Yoga centers.  The old as well as the young practice Paranayama (breathing techniques) and Asanas (body postures).  Some people also enjoy exercising in open spaces.  Earlier some games were played only by boys and some Do You Know?  by girls.  Most boys played cricket Kite flying is a popular activity on or hockey and girls were Raksha Bandhan, Independence Day expected to play kho - kho, and Uttarayan.  It requires great skill badminton, etc.  But now the and strategy.  All over the world situation IS changed.  Girls / people enjoy flying kites of different women are playing all kind of shapes and materials.  games for fun and as professionals like cricket, football, hockey, etc.  Many games are competed as 'mixed doubles' at international level like lawn tennis.  Both boys and girls have equal opportunities to participate at National games, Asian games, Commonwealth games, Olympics, etc.  Most people enjoy watching a cricket match at Eden Garden, tennis match at Wimbledon with enthusiasm and excitement.  Children enjoy visiting a zoo, circus or water park or fly kites in their leisure time.  Young or old, everyone looks forward to leisure time to relax, enjoy and refresh the mind.  Spectators cheering at a cricket match do you know?  Reading is a wonderful hobby.  Books entertain and give us information about people, events, places, etc.  65