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Class Based Leisure Patterns of the Aged: Analysis of Leisure Among Old Age People in India
Prof. S.K. Chaudhury,
Department of Sociology
University of Lucknow,
Lucknow-226007
India
Leisure has become crucial to the existence of human being today in every society. Unless people have leisure in their work schedules there cannot be proper social development. Proper social development leads to a better quality of life. The aged are no exception. For the old leisure activities are also supposed to be a type of engagement in their day to day life. Here those people are referred to who are not doing any routine work or activities for earning a livelihood, those who are retired from their occupation. It is obvious that people from different classes have different types of leisure activities in India. Rural India leisure pattern differs from urban India.
Under this backdrop, the present paper would focus on leisure pattern among the aged in Urban India. Traditionally watching movies, listening to music, walking, travelling, attending spiritual meetings or going for pilgrimage were the main leisure activities. Today it has not changed drastically in India. However, there has been some transformation in the leisure pattern found among the urban aged because of better transportation and communication facilities. In light of this the paper would also try to analyse how these above facilities have been helpful for the aged to find out a healthy life.