Happiness Department in Madhya Pradesh has Teething Trouble

It is sad that the first meeting of Anand Vibhag, the proposed Happiness Department of the Government of Madhya Pradesh in India, was not a happy one and is drawing flak from ex-bureaucrats on the social media.

The chief minister of the state made an announcement amidst much fanfare to create a happiness ministry some time back. There is no ground to doubt earnestness of his noble intentions.

As a keen observer of the developments in this regard, I may however point out that all was not well with other players in the state after the announcement was made. The intention here is not to dig this matter or discuss the comments made by ex-bureaucrats after the first meeting was held in Bhopal recently.

I am sanguine that the happiness project is valuable indeed and must be pursued in proper spirit. It will prove to do long term good for the people of the state and set an example for other states of our country. It has the potential to be a game changer.

Happiness is not a myth or utopia. Much scientific research has been done on the subject in the last forty years or so. It is one of the most popular course taught in at the Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. The findings have been applied with great success to the US army and schools in Australia and the US.

As I have already written in my earlier blogs, the happiness project should include scientific tools from positive psychology, positive education, positive health, positive ageing, neuro science, yoga, meditation, laughter yoga etc.

It would be sad indeed if a noble idea suffers at the hand of those who do not understand the science of happiness and well-being. It should not become a victim of petty politics and ignorance. If the chief minister comes out of the cocoon and seeks services of good Samaritans who have a know-how of the subject, we are always there.

My earlier blogs on the subject:

Suggested Outline for the Happiness Department in Madhya Pradesh

Department of Happiness, Government of Madhya Pradesh, India

Jagat Singh Bisht

(The blogger is a Happiness Coach & Laughter Yoga Master Trainer based in Indore, India with a background of Behavioural Science, Positive Psychology, Yoga, Meditation and Laughter Yoga. He is the founder of LifeSkills. He may be reached at coolbisht@hotmail.com, facebook.com/CoolBisht, @CoolBisht and +91 7389938255)

A Paradise of Love, Laughter and Happiness

A little paradise of love, laughter and happiness exists on this planet.

A bunch of lovely ladies gather in the evening for exercise, yoga and laughter in a community hall. During the weekend, they gather at one of the member’s place to bless the house with love, laughter and happiness.

They continuously keep in touch with each other, from six in the morning to eleven at night, through a whatsApp group. Once in a while, they plan a trip and go out for a picnic.

Suniket Ladies’ Yoga and Laughter Club, Indore, India is pure love, laughter and happiness and nothing else.

I am grateful to all the wonderful ladies of this dream club for their faith on their guiding spirit. Proud of Radhika for her selfless dedication to a noble cause!

Jagat Singh Bisht

Suggested Outline for Happiness Department in Madhya Pradesh

I am happy that ‘Anand Vibhaag’ (Department of Happiness) is finally taking shape in my state Madhya Pradesh in India. A meeting to chalk out its outline is being held in Bhopal on 10^th August 2016 under the leadership of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Principal Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains.

As the outline of the department of happiness is being formulated, I have a few humble points to make.

Yoga and Meditation, no doubt, are vital pillars of happiness and peace. However, they alone cannot usher in happiness and well-being. We have to blend ancient wisdom of our sages with modern science for optimum results.

A gargantuan work has been done in the field of ‘Happiness and Well-Being’ after Martin Seligman, in 1998, as president of the American Psychological Association, urged “psychology to supplement its venerable goal with a new goal: exploring what makes life worth living and building the enabling conditions of a life worth living”.

Positive Psychology should be an integral part of any modern day happiness programme anywhere in the world.

Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive. The field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play.

Likewise, positive education and positive health merit mention and inclusion in the happiness curriculum.

Positive education is defined as education for both traditional skills and for happiness. The high prevalence worldwide of depression among young people, the small rise in life satisfaction, and the synergy between learning and positive emotion all argue that the skills for happiness should be taught in school. There is substantial evidence from well controlled studies that skills that increase resilience, positive emotion, engagement and meaning can be taught to school children.

The field of medicine has long focused on the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of disease. But health is more than the mere absence of disease. The emerging concept of Positive Health takes an innovative approach to health and well-being that focuses on promoting people’s positive health assets, which might include biological factors, such as high heart rate variability; subjective factors, such as optimism; and functional factors, such as a stable marriage—strengths that can contribute to a healthier, longer life.

Last, but not the least, Laughter Yoga, one of the most effective tools for creating instant joy, should be an integral part of any happiness curriculum.

Laughter Yoga is a combination of laughter exercises and yogic breathing that strengthens our immune system and generates feel good hormones in the body. Laughter is triggered with the help of exercises which soon turns into real and contagious laughter with eye contact and childlike playfulness. It is a simple yet profound method of busting physical, mental and emotional stress in one go.

Wishing the Happiness Department in Madhya Pradesh all the happiness and a grand success!

Jagat Singh Bisht

(The blogger is a Happiness Coach & Laughter Yoga Master Trainer based in Indore, India with a background of Behavioural Science, Positive Psychology, Yoga, Meditation and Laughter Yoga. He is the founder of LifeSkills. He may be reached at coolbisht@hotmail.com, facebook.com/CoolBisht, @CoolBisht and +91 7389938255)