It is a very good habit to have hobbies. Without them life becomes a boredom. They give us relaxation or amusement. But it should be noted that all recreations and amusements are not hobbies; for example gossiping, going to a talkie, or attending a musical performance are not hobbies.

Stamp collecting, coin collecting, gardening, painting and photography are a few hobbies. These are superior kind of recreation, for they provide intellectual enjoyment. A happy feature about a hobby is that it lacks seriousness—for, a hobby pursued in a serious spirit, becomes a task.

Let us take up stamp-collecting. Several resort to it as a hobby. We carefully remove the stamps from letters that have been addressed to us or to our friends and paste them on the pages of an album. We go on doing it for months and even years; we collect stamps of different countries and of different value.

We take pleasure in it and feel we have done something useful, which others have not. It may not be useful to us or to others immediately. But from such collections much historical, geographical and cultural information can be gained. Many research scholars are eager to have such collections relating to the past. Some collectors have made money by selling rare stamps.

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Next take gardening. The plants we have ourselves planted and watered blossom into flowers. How happy we feel then. We do not feel any drudgery in the work. It improves our garden and our health. It is, therefore, useful.

Another hobby but a rather expensive one, is photography. Photography, as an art, has developed to such an extent that it has become a fine art. We enjoy taking photographs. So, it is one of the best hobbies, if we can afford to cultivate it. Music and painting, if cultivated purely for the love of art, are also real hobbies.

Every one of us should have a hobby within his or her means. Otherwise, life loses much of its charm, and becomes one long drudgery from beginning to end. By pursuing one’s hobby, one learns the virtue of patience and intelligent research. It is not only a source of pleasure but also a means of healthy, vigorous and enlightened life.