Paper Plane Mania

Paper - plane maniaat lest not too much.
Is keeping a hobby of some kind, an easy matterOnce upon a time, ‘kite flying’ was considered a
these days? Surely not, in my opinion. Whenever I askvery cheap sport. In the present scenario, even that
an youngster, “What is your hobby?” he wouldhas become quite dear. Next, it could be practiced only
tell me, “Reading newspapers, magazines, watchingin the month of January in India; you don’t get a
t.v., football, cricket, kabadi etc. Quite a number, Sir. Yougood wind speed in other months.
name it, I have it.?” In my turn I ask, “My dearSome college boys in my city Chennai have come out
young man, everybody does that….” If I hadn’twith a far cheaper idea having consulted some videos
been interviewing him for a job, he would have cut meon the internet. It’s paper plane. Any old newspaper
short and fired back angrily, “If it is so, why the hellor possibly a page from a note book is enough. All you
do you ask?”are required to do is to fold the paper into an arrow
Many students out of college or school, don’t evenshape model or fashion it like a glider-look- alike thing
know the meaning for ‘Hobby’. So, to expectand throw it in the air in a parabolic trajectory.
the right answer from them is asking for too muchThree types of competitions will be organised - the
presumably.longest distance the model could fly before it touches
.the ground, the longest air time and different designs of
It is agreed that any hobby is expensive in India. Itsthe paper plane. Hundreds of student are registered
running cost cannot be met out of one’s pocketfor this sport, or should I dare call it ‘hobby’?
money and the parents are not prepared to foot yourThe winner from Chennai will participate in the world
extra bill over and above the huge ‘educationwide paper plane contest, due to be held in Austria
bill.’sometime this year.
That being so, we have to accept that anything youGreat, isn’t it? What used to be the pastime of
do   other than the actions connected with yourkindergarden children has become a world sport and a
‘study’ and ‘work’ as hobby. I shallhobby at that. Henceforth, if anyone complains that
remember this rule when I take an interview next time‘hobbies’ are beyond our pocket, perish the
or when I happen to talk to a college pass-out.thought. Who knows, in course of time this sport may
Young men and women nowadays take to all sorts ofbe accepted as an Olympic event as well. So, let all
sports over and above the usual games. The conditionage groups try to become experts in this HOBBY.
is, “It must be cheap and not eat into your pocket,