As students are enjoying the respite of winter vacation — this time a long one of over twenty days in Punjab - they express weariness that there lurks a feeling of regret in the back of their minds as if they were wasting their time by not spending the vacation productively. That is, leisure is adulterated with guilt. This feeling is natural in our cultures, where enjoying leisure means idling away important time, thus inviting failure at our own risk.

Students imbibe this feeling from their environment, whether it is home or school. Teachers assign them truckloads of homework, assignments or tests to make the most of a weekend or vacation academically. Parents eulogise those institutions that keep children swamped even during holidays. Consequently, students drop out, if not academically, then psychologically.

Every personal problem is also a social problem. This means that most of our problems, no matter how personal they may seem, are connected with the type of society we live in.

The leisure guilt has its roots in the myth that........

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