Summer in north India used to be time for fun and relaxation once upon a time, recalls old-timer Sudhir Gupta of Vijay Nagar Colony. “Not so now. Children are being unnecessarily pressured to join some course or the other from singing to dancing or painting, even personality grooming. Why don’t parents just leave them alone with books and let them pursue their hobbies. It’s atrocious to inflict all kinds of experimental courses on the little ones. Some of these parents are guided by the television reality shows. A whole industry has come up in the city to train singers and dancers,” Gupta adds.

 Half a dozen cricket academies have sprung up to laboratory produce star cricketers. A four day national camp for training cricket umpires has just concluded.

 "From morning till evening children are busy, with anxious mothers providing the support services. Kids today have little time to gossip, to stare and marvel at the nature's gifts, to pursue their dreams. It is all a virtual world, a make-believe existence, driving kids and their parents mad," adds housewife Padmini.

 "When we are kids, we used to go out to our relatives, to our Nanihaals, or on long vacations, read lots of books. The John's Public Library in Paliwal Park used to be packed with students who lined up to borrow books. We read a lot of magazines. My father used to buy bundles of old comics and children's books at half rates and we devoured all of them in hours," recalls Mukta, a professional, an ex-student of Dayalbagh deemed university in Agra.

 These summer time classes have become an industry. "They are charging exorbitant fees to teach them some hip-hop and break dances or some funky steps in the name of promoting culture. Ideally summer vacations should be reserved to relax and rest to re-charge minds and bodies. But these days parents are making children work extra and thereby get sick mentally and physically," comments Surendra Sharma, owner of Hotel Goverdhan where summer time classes are held for the kids who are interested in learning modern dances or learn theatrical tricks.

 "In our time we used to go to river Yamuna and spend hours in the water like buffaloes. Kite-flying and gulli-danda were other passions. Some went for fishing at Keitham lake. We spent summer vacations lasting two months as if there was not a care in the world and we were free as birds to do what we wanted to do," recalled old-timer Hari Dutt Sharma, a teacher now.

"I really see no logic of burdening kids with so much homework and project reports. A large number of students have been given summer projects on Yamuna pollution, and even on Anna Hazare's corruption battle. Obviously most of these projects are internet based and all they need is to Google and download. It really makes no sense," says school teacher Anubhav.

Jyoti, director of Kathak Nritya Kendra says "for the girls its a very useful time to learn dancing and other household skills to keep trim and prepare for the eventual matrimony. Nothing really wrong with joining summer time courses to learn some useful arts, instead of remaining glued to the idiot box, as most children normally do."

IPTA national general secretary Jitendra Raghvanshi, who Thursday began a month-long camp "Little IPTA," at the Soor Sadan auditorium, feels a few hours spent daily on art and culture, or any other activity outside the regular curriculum, is helpful both for the promotion of values as also for child's own development. Undoubtedly these summer camps have been able to tap and nurture artistic and creative talent. Today's children are better exposed and definitely more sharp and sensitive. These qualities have to be sharpened. This is what summer time camps are doing, if not all many of them.

At St Peter's College Archbishop Albert Dsouza inaugurated  a month long course for personality development and setting goals in life. The Kalinidi School of Dance and Music began its 40 day course for a variety of dances and will end with a mega show, according to Roshni Gidwani, director.

Dance Mania has also begun its western dances workshop for a fortnight, by Creative Event. The kids will be groomed by Dharmesh of Dance India Dance-II fame. In New Agra community hall, a free camp for girls in knitting, stitching, cooking and house care has been started for a month. Several other groups have begun their Yoga classes.