Holiday is a word which brings a smile on any face.Every body waits for a holiday.On the advent of a new year, the first thing a person looks for in a calendar is the list of holidays.The dictionary defines the word holiday as exemption from work.It is for the Government of a country to decide and declare holidays.Generally holidays are declared for festivals,days of national importance and secular purposes.Every country has its own norms and regulations.By and large all countries declare a public holiday for their days of National importance.In USA, the Federal Government declares holidays for its own employees. It is for the States to have their discretion in the selection of holidays.In Canada public holidays are known as statutory holidays,which are observed throughout the country.In addition each province and territory has its own holidays.Similarly the same pattern is followed by all the countries.
India, being a secular country with cultural and religious diversities,the Central Government allows three National holidays and twelve other holidays. Besides,there is a weekly off on Saturdays and Sundays. It is for the States to declare holidays according to the prevalent religious and linguistic considerations.In addition schools, colleges and the judiciary have long vacations in summer,and also observe local festivals.
In India the Central Govt.has a scheme for leave travel concession(LTC) for its employees.People can avail of this facility after every two years.They can travel to any part of the country.Thus they get paid holidays ,which help them not only to rejuvenate themselves but also to get aware of the diversities of the country. Travelling across the country the people come to know about the language,food habits,and the culture of various places.
The stress and strain of everyday life is reduced during holidays.A very old saying 'all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy' still holds true.Many establishments compulsorily send their employees on vacation. One of the enjoyable features inherent in holidaying is that one can forget the daily grind. From waking up in the morning to sleeping at night everything can be done at leisure. There is no time constraint. It makes you feel at peace with yourself.Just visualise yourself relaxing on a couch with your family and munching hot bhajias leisurly.After a holiday,when you go to work, you feel relaxed.Children look forward to the holidays.Even if the school closes a few minutes earlier than usual,the children are seen rushing out exclaiming "Chutti, Chutti During long vacations the parents should device some activities to keep the kids usefully occupied. Due to the heat, in summers the children have to be kept indoors. The resonsibility of the parents is to plan the activities for the kids. Even the children can be invoved in planning for the holidays.Children of all ages love colour.Parents should stock lot of colours, papers and earthen wares like diyas for painting.Children are always eager to write on the blackboard in the class.Why not get them a folding blackboard to enable them to give shape to theitr fantasies.Age old indoor games such as Monoply,Scrabble,and even Carrom Board are still popular.There can be innumerale options,which an imaginative mother can think of.I remember that when we used to go on vacations,children were encouraged to collect foliage and study the shapes.sizes,and nature of various leaves and flowers.Swimming is also an activity which relieves one's mental and physical stress. This activity is not only interesting,but also educative.
Holiday spirit is catching up fast in India.People have started realising that to achieve better results in their career,they need an occassional change.Tourism industry has initiated efforts to attract more nunbers.The result is that many tourist resorts,holiday homes and picnic sites have sprung up all over the country.Railways and Airlines give special packages during vacations.From Kashmir to Kanya kumari and from Jaipur to Kolkatta,every where tourist traffic has increased.
Some destinations in India which have gained popularity in recent years are the Back Waters of Kerala,The Golden Temple ,The Taj Mahal ,The Kutub Minar, The Kashmir Valley ,The colourful Jaipur and many more.
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| Kutub Minar |
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| Kumarakom resort..Kerala |
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| Kasmir Valley |
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| Taj Mahal,A memorial of love |
A word of caution!!The holiday should remain a holiday and .shoud not become a full time job.
Bua, two countries separated by a common language--I was happily reading along and did not realize that you meant "vacations" and "days off from work" for quite a while. I was thinking of holidays like Christmas, New Year's, Easter, Passover!
ReplyDelete(Obviously, those are covered by your description, and I know the British use of the term. But I am tired and it just did not dawn on me.)
ReplyDeleteLexically, there is a difference between the words "holiday" and "vacation". Lately, however, it has become fashionable to use holidays, or shall I say, "extended holidays" for vacationing or taking a breather from the daily monotony. And this trend doesn't come as a surprise to me, given the so many number of days that Indians get as holidays every year. So if a national or state holiday falls on a Monday or a Friday, we ingeneously use it as "weekend get away" to an interesting tourist destination. So, even as the difference between the words "holiday" and "vacation" is becoming somewhat blurred or inconsequential for Indians, I would still humbly insist that a holiday must be celebrated in the spirit of a holiday, that is, we must not forget the reason or occasion with which it is declared as one.
ReplyDeleteThank you Samira,thank you Madhavi for your comments.
ReplyDelete