2018 is here — the New Year. And here is wishing our Star of Mysore readers and associates a very happy-and-laughter-filled year. This is possible if there is good health, good wealth, no matter of what age you are in — after all, age is only a number, let us not waste precious time counting these numbers. Let us leave it to those who count the prayer beads!

For the last over two decades, I have been receiving a diary and a desk calendar every December-end from the Osho Rajneesh Ashram in Pune where I was a regular visitor to listen to spiritual discourses by Osho Rajneesh in English and Hindi in the mornings, rain or shine. Listening to him was indeed an ethereal experience. Imagine being blessed to hear the Buddha directly. It was a strange experience but enthralling while you were in his presence. It was unlike many other discourses I have heard directly from other masters of our country. I must thank Amrit Sadhana, Contributing Editor, Osho Times International.

This year’s theme of the Osho diary is laughter. Which is why I mentioned of its importance earlier. The preamble in the diary says, if you cannot laugh you cannot understand life. Laughter opens you towards existence. Laughter is also one of the most deep-going medicines that nature has provided man with. If you can laugh when you are ill, you will get your health back soon.

A couple of days back, I went to see an elderly patient at Shanthaveri Gopala Gowda Hospital and entered a sombre-looking ward with dear ones, naturally sad, speaking in whispers. I walked in like a comforting breeze carrying subtle fragrance with a gentle smile and a voice that was rather impolite for the situation. But soon, my cousin in bed opened his eyes and smiled. The light-hearted positive banter pervaded the ward and there was laughter even from the sick bed. Alleluia! There, he was getting the medicine nature has provided man with!

When he left the hospital, his wife called me on phone, happy. I said, “Next time your husband comes to the hospital call me…”

Such, according to Osho, is the power of laughter — it heals, it makes one happy and mentally free. When you laugh, energy starts flowing from your inner source. Now if there is no  one to make you laugh, do not go in search of jokers or fools to make you laugh. Life is so much a miracle, multi-dimensional that sometimes you have to simply observe your own stupid or foolish actions and the happenings in your surroundings. You will find many reasons to laugh.

Imagine you have just dropped a China-ware you brought from Singapore. If it breaks, don’t curse yourself, instead laugh and say to yourself, ‘Ha, one more jolly trip to Singapore.’ It breaks into smithereens and you kneel down to swab the floor. Laugh and say to yourself — ‘Thank God, I did not fall and break my leg.’ And laugh. If your servant breaks your China, you must have the same attitude — ‘O, God. Don’t worry Dropamma. For washing China use hot water, not soap water.’ She will smile and you too will smile and there is happiness rather than rancour and guilt-feeling. Only positive attitude for all situations will bring happiness. Thank you Osho for mending my mind like a cobbler mending the old shoes!

Therefore, this New Year 2018, let us live a pure, simple, happy life. Here is wisdom from Mohanlal, film actor, I have found in my scrap book. It conveys the quintessential secret of life to be happy. He says:

“I believe in happiness and celebration, romance and friendship. These are the smallest things and also the greatest. You are the deciding factor of our life.” I endorse because this is also one of my ways of life to keep myself happy. And here it is important to listen to American film-maker Miles Warren who said, “Don’t take life seriously because you cannot come out of it alive.”

Anyway, man’s search for happiness continues and it must, no matter however much elusive it is. There are some places that are naturally joyful like Denmark, Costa Rica and Singapore as National Geographic magazine says. The reason is that people there feel secure, have a sense of purpose and enjoy lives that minimise stress which, as a natural corollary, maximises joy and  happiness. And happiness is one of the long-hidden secrets of long life, longevity!

Denmark: It frequently claims the top spot in the Annual World Happiness Report. Reason: The Government supported education, healthcare and financial safety net.

Costa Rica: This country is a mountainous terrain in Central America. It has small property owners and a few large landholding class. Education is Government’s priority, clean water in villages and cities assured. There is social security and free medical clinics in villages.

Singapore: Security, compliance to law leading to harmony, respect and hard work. No wonder this island nation,  close to India, ranks high in Asia for life satisfaction which means happiness.

If your destination for 2018 is happiness and laughter, there are many roads that one can take to reach there. Take the easy worn out road or the less traversed but ensure the road takes you to that heaven of happiness. If our Government too can be like Denmark, Costa Rica and Singapore, how wonderful it would be for us to be happy!

The New Year’s good news for our Tamil Nadu people is that Rajinikanth, the Superstar, has decided to enter politics to make them happy. But in Karnataka let us wait for Godot!

Best of Luck. Happy New Year.

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