Quest for Happiness

Karun Sharma is at the far-end -- wearing a jacket

Session in progress: China Hut is packed to the rafters

What causes happiness?
Subjective as it might be, the question formed the core of the second training session (ref post of January 11) convened by the Club's in-house life coach, Karun Sharma today. Responses ranged from Kiran Prakash’s equanimous “I find happiness in everything” to Nahid Khan’s fervent “Coming to the Garden gives me maximum happiness” to Mr Purohit’s sagacious mantra, “It is up to us whether we allow ourselves to be happy or unhappy.”
But this was merely scratching the surface as we slowly submitted ourselves, one by one, to be hand-held by Sharma through a process of self-discovery and realisation. “Do not allow external factors to dictate your state of mind,” he exhorted. “Find the source of your happiness within yourself. For example, would you be able to identify one reason for being happy this morning? It could be something as basic as successfully flushing your bowel.”
Dilip Babani bravely declared that seeing his wife’s face when he woke up made him happy. Mumtaz Jahan affirmed that being in good health made her happy while Rukhsana Khan, in like vein, confessed to the realization of “being able to walk again” bringing her happiness. (She is a paraplegic.) Naseem Khan said getting to meet friends in the Garden made her happy and Swati Panjabi announced that she was overjoyed to find Club members very welcoming towards her. “I am happy to meet you today,” Shanti Singh’s husband told Sharma.
On and on the confessions continued till Nahid, in all simplicity, deduced that being positive is the surest way to stay happy. “I go to somebody’s house and they don’t offer me tea,” she said by way of example. “Rather than being upset or critical, if I am understanding – maybe, they’d have run out of milk or tea leaves – would that not put me at peace? What do I gain from thinking ill of anybody or being negative, except for immersing myself in grief?”
At this point, Sharma tossed a teaser: “Does success lead to happiness? Or does happiness lead to success?” That was to instantly drive a wedge into the group and in the opprobrium that followed Yusuf Rassiwalla declared the discussion, inconclusive as it was, be closed for the day and carried forward the next time we meet.
Lt Col Angad Singh (from Mohali):
It is good to have such educative sessions which stimulate the brain cells. I feel happiness is a state of mind. One can feel happy on small acts of kindness. I had a friend who was bed-ridden for a long time. Yet I found him always smiling. He never complained that the Almighty had punished him. Swati Panjabi is very happy whenever she taps the back of a person with force while doing exercises. Positive thinking helps one to find happiness everywhere.