Laughter is the best medicine and is universally accepted. We are too occupied and stressed out in our regular life, such that we hardly remember the last laughter we had. The current lifestyle leaves us with no spare time, even to ponder the number of times we carried ourselves with a smile. Smileys have substituted the natural smile. We all love the giggles of child, the laughter of kids and the happy faces that leaves a positive impression. Today, we wait for a reason to laugh. Are we too ignorant or are we too stressed?Bangalore is highly urbanized, yet it has the highest number of laughter clubs in India. There are 2200 laughter clubs across India, Bangalore owning 220 laughter clubs, thereby gaining the title of the “Laughter Capital of the Country.”
Laughter therapy helps in bringing down the Blood Pressure and diabetes, helping all the muscles to relax. Every day, between 6 am and 7 am and 5:30 pm and 6:30 pm, residents from a cross-section of professions, classes and creeds get together for an hour-long laughter therapy session which also combines simple flexibility exercises, yoga and pranayama. These clubs are intended to boost the participants to face the day’s chores with the happy hormones. It also involves an active participation from all the members, thereby sharing ideas and learning various exercises to boost their endorphins.
There is no age restriction to become a member, anyone who has the ability to laugh can be a part of it. It is beneficial to the aged people as they not only laugh, but also enlarge their social circles and share their problems and issues. It is a great way to build network. There is no entry fee; hence there is no financial burden on anybody. The laughter culture has become so popular in Bangalore such that the corporate has made it as a part of their recreational activity. They invite members from different clubs to conduct sessions & cheer up their employees. The schools also have included laughter therapy in their curriculum. Nimhans has been organizing laughter therapy for its patients for over 5 years now which also shows that it is medically beneficial.
Jayanagar in south Bangalore has the most number of laughter clubs. There are at least 12 clubs in Jayanagar. Vijayanagar has about 10, Malleshwaram 8, Sarjapur, HSR Layout and Rajajinagar have 8 clubs, Yelahanka, JP Nagar, Indiranagar and BTM Layout/Bannerghatta have five clubs each. The title of Laughter Capital is justified.
Hats off to the organizers for being so generous and utilizing their experiences through the clubs.