My daughter has been to three workshops this summer. Not because I did not know what to do with her. We did craft, cooking, reading, swimming, fabric painting and worked on the computer at home. She also had ample time to play, both outdoor and indoor, and watch her favourite cartoons. My child went to the workshops because I needed a little time on my own to take care of errands, and I wanted her to have constructive fun.

At a three-day Chinmaya Mission Camp, she learnt to sing shlokas, heard some of our folk-lore, and was introduced to the concept of Rangoli and mehendi. She was exposed to a lot of Indian culture and tradition that I may have not been able to teach her. At a YWCA camp she made lots of new friends, and was constructively occupied for three and a half hours each day. At the latest one that she is attending, she has done fabric painting, cooking and fun-crafts. For her uncle's birthday, she painted a vest for him. Now, she has painted a T-shirt for one of our neighbours.

Some of the workshops are constructive and fun for the child. Specially, if they are the only child, as mine is. It is not humanly possible for any parent to devote all the waking hours towards the child's "edu-tainment". Hobbies have to be introduced, taught, and nurtured at home. Nowadays, with more emphasis on the academic curriculum, parents either have to teach these extra-curricular activities themselves, or turn to such workshops during the vacations and weekends. The workshops are in a non-competitive group atmosphere, where the child is made to learn that winning is not always important, playing the game is.

They open up new and exciting horizons that, during the academic year, lessen the tedium of curriculum, and, which later in life, can be a source of strength and joy to the person. If the choice is between travel and the summer workshops, I would choose the former. Three cheers for the people behind the summer workshops.