Hobbies: Hobbies are what people do to engage themselves during their leisure. They must be encouraged because they provide a welcome diversion from routine work. Most students have hobbies. Photography, stamp collection and gardening are some of the most popular hobbies.

Unlike most hobbies which incur some expenditure, gardening is least expensive. Moreover, it can be turned into a source of income. But it needs both land and water and cannot be pursued in crowded areas of cities. It may start as a hobby with a child and the child may become a good photographer when he grows up.

There are some hobbies which are not so common or inexpensive. In the west, millionaires hunt for curious photos and paintings and stock them in their private galleries. Some people take this to such an extent that they even arrange thefts to procure paintings illegally.

This becomes a mania and not a hobby. Hobbies should never be allowed to become manias. In people who are very prestige-conscious, hobbies are pursued not for pleasure but for the social importance they get through them. This is a negative aspect of hobbies.

We should be engaged in some hobby or other. Otherwise we would be in the danger of losing ourselves solely in our work. Hobbies take our minds off our worries and further our interest in life.