Hobby is a change of work which is done for the main purpose of refreshing oneself. In reality it is an interesting pursuit for the sake of getting pleasure in one’s leisure time. Hobby is the pleasant use of the spare time at our disposal. We pursue it to our amusement and recreation. In pursuance of a hobby, one can enjoy one’s leisure and learn at the same time. One should choose a hobby wisely. Hobbies build confidence because being good at something and learning something new is very rewarding. There are different hobbies which different persons pursue. Some like to spend their spare time in reading their favorite books or writing dairy. Some people have the hobby of collecting stamps or coins. Animal or bird watching is also a hobby for some people. Photography is also a popular hobby for certain persons. But it is quite an expensive hobby and everyone may not be able to afford it. Certain persons also make it their hobby to collect the autographs of eminent persons. Fishing, trekking, swimming, dancing, singing, drawing, cooking, etc. are also good hobbies. There will be thousand hobbies to opt. In that ‘gardening’ is one type of hobby for certain individuals. Let us see about ‘gardening’.
If people have a spacious ground attached to their house then they can easily cultivate the hobby of gardening. One can convert that open space into a beautiful garden. People can always devote their free time for the up-keep of their beautiful garden which is very dear to them. They will get a sense of joy and pride when they visit their own pretty garden nourished by them. It will give an immense pleasure. Whenever mind is tired of daily routine work and stressful life, one can just go garden and lie there on the green grass in the midst of blooming flowers. It will give a motherly care one can feel like lying on mother’s lap. The sweet fragrance of the flowers fills nostrils and one can feel very active and smart again. Gardening hobby not only provides pleasure but also a good amount of physical exercise. It helps reduce stress, blood pressure, obesity and helps in leading a healthy life.
“My hobby is my job. It’s jobby”, said by Graham Coxon. That means hobby is not only for entertainment purpose it helps in earning also. The person who has adopted gardening as hobby and if he has keen interest in that he can go to horticultural field to fulfil his dream. Horticulture is the growing of plants, mainly for food. The horticulture sector which includes a wide variety of crops such as fruits, vegetables, spices, plantation crops, floriculture, medicinal and aromatic plants cashew is nowadays recognized as an important sector for potential diversification and value addition in agriculture. Growing horticulture crops is now an ideal option to improve livelihood security, enhance employment generation, attain income and food security, and increase income through value addition. Horticultural crops, particularly fruits and vegetables now receiving attention in view of its commercial importance by quick transportation to vast internal market.
The one who is interested in gardening or horticulture can join B.Sc. in horticultural subject to acquire deep knowledge in this field. “Tamil Nadu Agricultural University” Coimbatore, “Punjab Agricultural University” in Ludhiana, “Dr. Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth” in Dapoli, Maharashtra are the top most universities recommended for the horticultural studies. After the completion of degree in horticulture the person is named as ‘Horticulturist’. A horticulturist is a person who uses his skills and knowledge in the production of plants. A horticulturist is also involved in the research on plants to produce new generation of plants. The job for horticulturist starts from gardeners to designers. They work as growers, therapists, designers. In India, horticulturists are high in demand in various industries. Scope and business in horticulture are increasing day by day. Floriculture is a part of horticulture which is process of cultivation of flowering which is used as a raw material in making perfumes and cosmetics in the pharmaceutical industry. After the completion of this study one can also become floriculturist, pomologist. In this field, one can also become a scientist in research studies. Under this course one can find jobs in productions and sales, public gardens, marketing, research and development, landscape design, agricultural engineering, pest management etc. One can refer following books to gain knowledge about horticulture. They are “Handbook Of Horticulture” by Icar, “The Fundamentals of Horticulture: Theory and Practice”, “Horticulture Principles and Practices” by George Acquaah etc. By seeing all these things one can definitely reach a dream job by cultivating a hobby related to that.
“A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away”, so one should indulge in such kind of works which gives relaxation, calmness and happiness. “No Man is really happy or safe without a hobby”, said by William Osler. Hobbies play very important role in our lives. Hobbies are our escape from the real world that makes us to forget our worries. If hobbies include kind of physical activities then chemical changes will occur inside the body and helps to reduce stress. If physical activity does not include also still its beneficial. Moreover, they make our lives interesting and enjoyable.
By Spandana Maiya G, Udupi
