The proverb "All work and no play make Jack a dull boy" is quite correct. This shows the need for rest, recreation and fun after doing hard work. Tiresome and constant work becomes a burden if we fail to get rest. So holidays are necessary. They remove fatigue from our body- They give comfort to our mind.
There are two kinds of holidays—(i) Short holidays and (ii) long holidays, Sunday is a short holiday. It gives us time to do our urgent work which we cannot do on account of busy life and routine work. We got long holidays on the occasion of festivals. Generally, such holidays are spent in celebrating festivals or to get recreation. Students get summer vacation which lasts for two months.
We must use long holidays in a proper way. A programme must be chalked out to make use of them. Often teachers prescribe home work to be done at home during vacation. It is useful if we do it regularly for one or two hours a day. Too much of home task is very harmful. Gandhiji always condemned the idea of home work during the vacation. He would say that in these long Holidays the students should go to villages to do social service there. Too much home task kills the pleasure of holidays. It becomes a burden. It fails to give us change. We should avoid overwork. We may use the morning time in building our body. Health is wealth. We may go for walking in a park, climbing on mountain, visiting beautiful places or for swimming and riding. Nature is the store house of wisdom. We may pass morning time in a garden or a park where we can breathe cool and refreshing air and enjoy the beauty of Nature, in the same way we may use the evening time in playing games and sports.
During day time we may read good books of general knowledge. We may spend a few days in visiting historical buildings. museums, zoos, exhibitions and educational fairs. Historical tours under the care of a history teacher are very useful for students. Lastly, we must also spend some time in the service of our countrymen. We may organize night schools for adults. We may go to the near villages and help the villagers in farming and sanitation. It will be the best form of recreation and light instruction.
"Vacation is just the period when students' minds should be free for self-help and original development". The village work is the best service to our motherland. If our villages progress, India will automatically progress.
