Fruitful Vacation

Having recently celebrated the 15-day Dashain festival, Nepalis are gearing towards another major festival, Tihar, which is two weeks away. Officers and workers might have to attend their work after a week of vacation in Dashain but this time of the year is a lengthy vacation time for students throughout the nation. 

For most students in Nepal, vacation time often means extended screen time as they scroll through their phones or flick through the TV channels, vexing their parents. Between idle children and exasperated parents, it is an ongoing battle quite universal. Parents want the best for their children, including a healthy balance of entertainment and hard work. Young students have a busy schedule in schools filled with classes, lessons, extracurricular activities and such, due to which they have little time for little else. 

On academic days, they arrive at their schools with a hefty bag carrying their textbooks as they are expected to keep up with their lessons. Given such a rigorous education system, it is not surprising that students look forward to holidays which are distributed throughout the year, zooming in the months of Asoj and Kartik for the festivals of Dashain and Tihar respectively. However, vacation doesn’t have to be a time of unproductive activities. Guided by their parents and educators, students can instead take up a new hobby such as arts and crafts, music, stamp collection, coding lessons, public speaking, and so on. 

These days, instructional tutorials are available for free on social media sites such as YouTube. Then there is the matter of fitness. It is equally necessary to move one’s body for good health and well-being. A healthy body often signals a healthy mind. Often during holidays, people spend a lot of time preparing delicious cuisines, especially during festivals. For example, in Nepal, people prepare non-vegetarian dishes during Dashain and Tihar. Likewise, sweets are also prepared and consumed in large amounts, which could lead to weight gain and related health problems. 

While vacations are a time to relax and let one’s hair down, it is equally necessary to keep the mind engaged and the body moving. As the young generations today grow up with screens, it could have long-term consequences, especially if the content they are consuming is unhealthy and harmful. Now and then, young kids must be encouraged to go outdoors and play with their friends as they remain curious about the world, not submerged heavily in social media apps. 

When it comes to the older working generation, it is necessary to put vacations to good use as well. Families can make it a tradition to spend holidays travelling, trying out new cafes, learning a new activity as a group, and even breaking out the board games in which the entire members of the family can participate. Vacations can especially be a time to read books eagerly, which is not just a cognitive exercise but is also pleasurable and entertaining. 

As such, children learn from their elder members of the family, who in turn have to make sure that they are setting an example for the younger generation. Vacations are a time to relax but they can also be creatively utilised, especially for young students who might then be able to return to school rejuvenated.