Youth and changing leisure patterns: A study of youth in urban India

The importance of leisure-time activities in the psychological, cognitive and physical development of young people is recognized in all societies. Leisure-time activities include games, sports, cultural events, entertainment and community service. Leisure can contribute to building a constructive personality. Appropriate leisure programmes for youth are elements of any measure aimed at fighting social ills such as drug abuse, juvenile delinquency and other deviant behaviour. While leisure programmes can contribute greatly to the development of the physical, intellectual and emotional potential of young people, they should be designed with due care and concern so that they are not used as a means for excluding youth from participating in other aspects of social life or for indoctrinating them.

Information and communication technologies have affected leisure time habits, as larger portions of socializing now take place through text messaging and on-line meetings replacing the face to face contact with virtual contact. The change in leisure tools has greatly impacted the inter relations between family, friends and colleagues.

The present paper attempts to study the changing patterns of leisure in the youth in urban India.