Introduction:

The topic of this study is the leisure time activities of the educated youth of Islamabad and Rawalpindi; what constitutes leisure according to them; their attitude towards leisure; the social and societal repercussions of this and societal, cultural and religious barriers to this leisure. This study also explores whether leisure is a standardized activity or does it differ among social classes or does choice of subject for studies influences leisure. It also explores the effects of peer pressure, if any, and gender on leisure time activities. This study comes under the general banner of cultural anthropology, cultural anthropology is defined as anthropology that deals with human culture especially with respect to social structure, language, law, politics, religion, magic, art, and technology,* and is an ethnographic study. Moreover it is part of the branch of social sciences known as leisure studies which seek to understand the cultural and sociological repercussions of leisure and how leisure promotes certain cultural and societal values. The youth have increasingly become a focal point in the modern world and that is why youth has received increasing governmental, political and institutional attention in the last couples of decades at international as well as national level, with the realization that youth can play crucial role in the development of the society. Recognizing youths potentialities and capacities, in many countries youth have been termed national assets. In the developed countries, much attention has been given to youth development by conducting intensive research as well as planning and executing different programs for youth. However, in the developing countries like Pakistan, this area has received less attention. The role of youth cannot be overlooked in Pakistan because a large majority of the population of the country consists of young people. For example, according to UNDP, in Pakistan 63% of population falls under the age of 25 years.1 This shows that youth forms a crucial demographic in the country. This huge energetic population needs opportunity for actualizing their potentials and capabilities to contribute in the development of the country.

Merriam Webster Dictionary

It is interesting to note that the definition of youth is contextual, hence has been defined differently in different context. For example, youth are defined by United Nations as between the age of 15 to 24 years. However, commonwealth defines youth as the people between the ages of 15 and 29 years.2 Pakistan has adopted the common wealths definition in the youth policy 2008 and defines youth as a period during which a person prepares himself/herself to be an active and fully, responsible member of the society. It is a period of transformation from family dependant childhood to independent adulthood and integration in the society as a responsible citizen.3 Leisure in this study is defined as Freedom provided by the cessation of activi ties; especially: time free from work or duties. Consequently leisure time is the time required for any leisure activity. The amount of time young people spend away from work and school work varies significantly across populations and regions. Differences exist within the developing world. In a Kenyan sample, 10 per cent of childrens waking hours were free, compared with 63 per cent for a sample of young men in urban India. In developing country populations, boys tend to have significantly more leisure time than do girls, as the latter spend more time in household labor than do their male counterparts. In the developed world, about half of American young peoples waking hours are free, and European adolescents seem to have about the same or slightly less leisure time, while Asian young people appear to have a quarter to a third of their time for leisure.4 According to a Gilani Research Foundation survey carried out by Gallup Pakistan, 30% of all Pakistanis watch TV in their leisure time, followed by doing household chores (20%) and resting/sleeping (19%). In two different surveys, a nationally representative sample of men and women from across the country were asked the following question: What do you usually do in your leisure time? 30% said they watch TV in their spare time, 20% said they do household chores, 20% rest or

Merriam Webster Dictionary

sleep. 10% said they do reading in their leisure time, 10% visit friends, 3% go for outing, 2% play sports and 1% go for a walk. 5% gave other responses. A gender wise analysis of the data showed that relatively more females (28%) do household chores in their leisure time as compared to males (13%). 5 East Asian, European and North American young people appear to spend an average of about two hours daily in front of the television, with boys watching more than girls. Young people from all regions spend less than an hour reading each day, with those in the United States reading less than Europeans, and Europeans less than Asians. Music plays a less substantial role in young peoples leisure time than any other activity. In terms of active, unstructured leisure, the time that younger children spend in play appears to be supplanted during adolescence by labor in developing and transitional populations and by talking (often more than two hours a day) among American and European young people, while children and youth in East Asia spend relatively little time in unstructured active leisure. Young peoples engagement in active, structured leisure such as sports, organizations and the arts is also greater in Europe and the United States than in Asia; studies tracking organized activity participation in developing areas have not been carried out. Across regions, participation appears to increase as socio-economic status improves, with sharper rises in sports for boys than for girls, and a greater increase for younger than for older adolescents. Time spent doing nothingwaiting, hanging out and thinking, for example takes more of Western young peoples time than that of Asian youth, and perhaps more time of youth in developing than in developed countries.6

Statement of the Problem:

Leisure time activities of the educated youth. My study shows what the boys and girls of select universities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad do in their free time, i-e time remaining after their academic activities, and how they go about in doing it. It also shows their views about their activities and the restrictions imposed on them or freedoms allowed them to continue these

activities. It also attempts to show an underlying idea behind the leisure time activities of different individuals. Objectives: To identify ways in which youth spends its leisure time and to enlist the activities adopted by them. To find out youths opinion about these activities. To explore the relation between the times spent on leisure activities and socio-economic background of youth. To highlight the role of gender effecting the time spent on leisure activities. To understand harmful effects of leisure time activities.

Review of Relevant Literature:

The Pakistani Youth has stepped on a train named as destiny that takes its passengers on the path towards development. Since the establishment of Pakistan, youth had always been crushed and oppressed by teachers, leaders and parents. Moreover the role of youth in politics has always been limited due to corrupt and inept political system. They failed to get exposed to the world that could lead to a new era of modernization. As the clock ticked and time flew, things started to change their discourse. The new century brought about much advancement along with the change in trends of Pakistani youth.
(UNDP, Pakistan http://youthexperia.blogspot.com/2012/12/YouthinPakistan.html)

Leisure is a developmental opportunity and an imperative. Larson argues that Adolescence, including leisure time during this period, should be defined and understood as a time of preparation for family life, employment, good citizenship, lifelong learning and personal fulfillment.

It also provides an opportunity for the development of communities and societies.

(Derek, Clark. (2003).Rethinking leisure time: expanding opportunities for young people. (Chapter 8)

Numerous studies have examined the development implication of leisure activity participation among American Youth with the exception of team support participation. Youth who participate in adult organized leisure activities are more likely to engage in pro-social behaviors and less likely to engage to risky behaviors such as substances uses than their non-participating peers.
(Barber et al., 2001; eccles &Barber, 1991 .the relation between profiles of leisure activity participation and substance use among south African youth.retrived from [insap Pakistan (PERI) at 01:58 23 January 2013)

The extension of the educated period and the lack of unskilled employment opportunities have created a situation where many young people are excluded from the labor market and sheltered from adulthood.
(Hendry et al., 2002; Robert, 1999; Furstenberg, 2000...Youths leisure Milieus in Rural Settings-gender equality in utilization of leisure opportunities. Annals of Leisure Research.Retrived from http:/www.tandfonline.com/loi/ranz20)

Societys ability to support young people to stay within the education and training milieu can be seen as measure of affluence. The transformation has facilitated the development of a youth culture that is discrete and distinct from adulthood, where special systems for rewards and trends can be developed
(Berger, 1972; Coleman, 1974; Green Smith and Roberts, 2005.Youths leisure Milieus in Rural Settings-gender equality in utilization of leisure opportunities. Annals of Leisure Research.Retrived from http:/www.tandfonline.com/loi/ranz20)

In many societies, youth is promoted as a time when young people can be adventurous by exploring new things, but at the same time, they can be criticized for being selfish, reckless and socially irresponsible and having destructive personalities.
(Farkas et al., 1997.Youths leisure Milieus in Rural Settings-gender equality in utilization of leisure opportunities. Annals of Leisure Research.Retrived from http:/www.tandfonline.com/loi/ranz20)

As in the United States and other regions of the world, research in South Africa suggests that spending time with friends is a common leisure activity among youth. Other popular activities among South African youth include watching T.V, listening to music, and reading, playing sports and participating in creative activities. South Africa differs from United States, however in that many South African youth, particularly those living in impoverished areas, have few opportunities to participate in school or community sponsored leisure activities.
(Moller, 1992; Wegner, Flisher,Muller&Lombard,2006..the relation between profiles of leisure activity participation and substance use among south African youth retrieved from [insap Pakistan (PERI) at 01:58 23 January 2013)

In Pakistan it is noted that Watching T.V, Resting to Relax, Visiting friends and using most of the internet is very common leisure activities among boys. While, doing house hold chores, watching T.V, resting to relax and some of the use of internet is most common leisure activity among the girls.
(Gillani Research Foundation. Gallup Pakistan)

The World Youth Report defines leisure time as the waking hours when a young person is neither in school nor at work. Reference considers leisure time as the time not devoted to paid work, household and family maintenance, personal care, or sleep. How young people spend their time, especially their leisure time, provides important information about their societal roles, attitudes and social experiences . The youth tend to experience more leisure time activities in their youthful years than in their later years when they pick up adults roles, including work and marriage. The young choose leisure activities, rather than obligatory activities, which are typically non-instrumental.
(Samsudine A.Rahim. Media time vs. active time: Leisure time among the youth in disadvantaged Community. International journal of human and social sciences)

Besides leisure time physical activity, hobbies and other leisure-time activities like music, sports, drama, arts, and dance have come to constitute very important spheres of living and learning, emphasizing the importance of leisure in adolescents lives. Therefore, the interrelationships between different leisure-time activities in youth are worthy of consideration, which contributes to understanding

how and in what context and with whom young people spend their leisure time and how this might be related to physical activity involvement.
(Mota.Jorge, Santos. Maria, Riberio. Jose, difference in leisure-time activities according to level of physical activity adolescent, journal of physical activity and health,2008,5,286-293)

Methodology:
The research conducted will be based on both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Survey method Questionnaire Interviews Focus group discussion.

The methods used while doing research will focus both the gender groups male and female and also from the people having different economic status.

Significance of the study:

In the modern period, leisure has been understood as a transmission belt for both representing and disseminating cultural values.7 Youth have a lot of free time on their hands and they adopt different leisure time activities to kill their time and avoid frustration. The major aim for conducting this research will be to identify the ways which youth adopts to spend their time. It is hoped that this research of mine will help in formulating policies at the government level and practices at the community level to encourage youth in adopting healthy, productive and fulfilling leisure time activities.

References:
1) UNDP and The Youth (http://undp.org.pk/undp-and-the-youth.html). 2) The Commonwealth (http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Internal/180392/)

3) Ministry of Youth Affairs, Pakistan (MOYA) (http://www.moya.gov.pk/national_youth_policy.html) 4) Rethinking Leisure Time, World Youth Report, 2003. (http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/ch08.pdf) 5) Gillani Foundation Survey by Gallup Pakistan (2010) (http://www.gallup.com.pk/Polls/18-01-11.pdf) 6) B. Muros, Y. Aragn and A. Bustos, Youths Usage of Leisure Time with Video Games and Social Networks (2013) (http://dx.doi.org/10.3916/C40-2013-02-03) 7) Ed. Chris Rojack, Susan M. Shaw, A. J. Veal, A Handbook of Leisure Studies (2006) Sylvia.N Sarah &Baldwin.k Cheryl (2003): Enhancing the physical activity levels of youth: A review with implications for leisure programming and evaluation, world leisure journal, (http://dx.doi.org) Beatriz Muros-Ruiz. Yolanada Arogan-Carretero.Antotnio bustos (January 21, 2013) Youths Usage of leisure time with Video games and social networks, Spain.Case Western Reserve university. Melissa k.Tibbits, Linda L.Caldwell,Edward A. Smith &Lisa Wegner(2009):The Relation between Profiles of Leisure Activity Participation substances use among South African Youth, World leisure Journal,Pennslyvania State University,USA. Charlotte Fabians son (2005): Youths Leisure Milieus in Rural settings-Gender Equality in Utilization of leisure opportunities, Annals of leisure research, University of western Sydney Australia. Jorge Mota, Maria Paula Santos and Jose Carlos Ribeiro (2008), Difference in leisure-time activities, research center of physical activity, health and leisure, university of Porto. Blackshaw, Tony & Crawford, Garry (2009) The Sage Dictionary of Leisure Studies, Sage, London