Happy is as happy does!

 This evening I attended a musical programme organised by Mitra Foundation, a cultural organization run by my colleague, Dr. Rajeshree Gokhale Madam, and her family. It was one of the happiest evenings of this month. Given the advance in technology which enables digitization, it was as if one was back in to the golden era of Marathi 'light' music which included every genre, folk to the Kirana Gharana classical. The whole auditorium, despite all sorts of differences, shared a very happy feel of literally being drenched in the simple yet deep poetry of Ga.Di.Ma and the unbelievably sweet 'sur's of Sudhir Phadke.

That set me thinking. What exactly is happiness? Is it collective? Is it individual? What makes it? What mars it? So varied it is! For some, happiness resides in helping others. For a few demented ones with sadism as their defining core, happiness would be harassing a hapless victim! 

Does happiness consist of materialistic acquisitions? For most, the answer to this question would be a huge resounding 'yes'. The bigger the car, the newer the mobile, the larger the house, they feel happier. While for a select few, happiness would mean self-reflexivity and self-amelioration. For sure, contentment is more enriching than mere enjoyment.

If such is roughly the space happiness inhabits, many are the tools, soft and/or hard in nature/variety, it uses. Family, friends, favourite relatives, health, art, nature, religion, social work, all such, and many more, make most happy. I think, one is the happiest if one's profession is closely allied with one's hobbies. If you are a lecturer and an amateur author, reading as your hobby would embellish your profession, right?

Is happiness defined by time? Is it space-specific? For SURE! April, for the students and hence for their entire family, is the cruellest month, what with the impending results, right? Well, on the contrary, Ashwin, from Day One to Diwali is soaked in and saturated with happiness. As for space making one happy, better to ask Sunita Williams and her colleague. The Terra firma would sure be a happier space for them than the space station, however lovely the sun-rises, right?

Despite differences in defining happiness, I suppose, its base is contentment. It is something, I would say, opens up in concentric circles from self to society, and, yes, better is the happiness if intersect many circles at multiple points.

One can go on and on which would reduce the happiness of the readers of our blog, right? Let us hence be succinct, and sum it up as "happy is as happy does!"

Pratima@ Happiness index released on the World Happiness Day, as done recently,  appears confusing, to say the least. By which paradigm can Pakistan, disintegrating at all borders , be ten places higher in the hierarchy  than India! May be, the International Community is like farmers burning off their 'harali', the dry stumps of the last year's produce? Whither the green footsteps that could make all happy, rather like the solution to water woes through the participation of the common man!