Madhya Pradesh has become the first state in India to get
a ‘Happiness Department’ (‘Anand Vibhaag’ in Hindi) within the state government
apparatus, according to a report in the Times of India. The objective of the
department is to measure prosperity by gauging citizens’ happiness quotient and
not the gross domestic product.
Mr Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the chief minister of the state,
has penned his thoughts by way of a blog on this occasion. He says, “I often
wonder why despite unprecedented growth in material prosperity and means of
comfort, happiness continues to elude and what explains the ever growing
intolerance, violence despair and depression.”
The concept of happiness that the government aspires to
pursue in Madhya Pradesh, as per the Chief Minister, will primarily be based on
time tested India wisdom.
He realizes that the government apparatus has its own
strength and limitations. And, rightly goes on to say, “using it for spreading
joy in society has its own challenges”.
The initiative to bring cheers to the life of common man
is welcome and deserves kudos. Madhya Pradesh can now claim to be in the same
league as Bhutan, Venezuela and the UAE.
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. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Psychologist, in his well-known
classic work on happiness, Flow, agrees, “The similarities between Yoga and
flow are extremely strong; in fact it makes sense to think of Yoga as a very
thoroughly planned flow activity. Both try to achieve a joyous, self-forgetful
involvement through concentration, which in turn is made possible by a
discipline of the body.”
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 a strong
pillar 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.
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.
I
am citizen of this state and offer myself, with all humility, as a volunteer
consultant, happiness and well-being. Shall be happy to offer my services to
the state without any expectation and reward.
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 - The Pathway To Authentic Happiness,
Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! He may be reached at email: coolbisht@hotmail.com and
phone: +91 7389938255)
