Are We Not Happy?

Some folks out there have misjudged us.

They say the Pakistanis are happier than us… the Bangladeshis are also happier… the Bhutanese are happier too. We, Indians, are not so happy. 

Says who? Well, according to the latest World Happiness Report 2016, India ranks a poor 118th out of 158 countries. Pakistan’s rank is 92, while Denmark occupies the top position.

This is not fair!!!

How can we fare so dismally in terms of being happy? It just cannot be.

The report said that India was among the group of 10 countries witnessing the biggest happiness declines, along with Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen and Botswana.

India ranked below Somalia (76), China (83), Pakistan (92), Iran (105), Palestinian Territories (108) and Bangladesh (110).

Did the surveyors meet only the married folks? Or did they interview the married folks when the mothers-in-law were around? Probably they surveyed the scene on the not-so-appropriate days.

For instance, they should have made their observations on days when marriages are taking place. Everybody is happy—the bride, the groom, the neighbours and families, the caterers, the DJs, the parlour-girls, the dress-designers, the jewellers… and the list can be longer. And, in India, nearly everyone marries. So, if you make careful observations on carefully-chosen days, we must be one of the happiest people in the world.

One criterion was the freedom to make decisions of life. Of course, everyone freely takes their decisions in India: the wives; the husbands; the workers; the creators; the producers; the killers; the hoarders; the mafia; the police; the utopian revolutionaries… almost everyone. Do you think, by and large, we abide by any strict code of conduct? We do what we want; we speak what we want; we criticise; we rejoice; we throw allegations; we create our own heroes and worship them unabashedly… We are free!

How can they say we are not even in the top 100 countries whose inhabitants are happy? They have erred, surely.

Look around carefully. Are the malls not crowded? Are the restaurants not packed to capacity? Are people not shopping and eating as if there is no tomorrow? And they ought to have taken a look at the pubs and discos. Happy youngsters are dancing away merrily.

I think they forgot to take a look at the schools. The owners of schools, which charge hefty fees, are happy; the kids who pay lakhs and sit in air-conditioned classrooms with an ipad on their desks are happy.

In parts of rural India, there is happiness too. In schools where there are no walls and no benches and the teachers can nowhere be seen, the students are still happier. When no teaching and learning takes place, the teachers too are the happiest in such schools.

Even if the gross domestic product (GDP) or per capita income was the criterion, the fact-finders looked at the wrong faces and/or at the wrong pockets. Did they not visit Gurgaon or Ludhiana? Did they not visit Nepeanse Road in Mumbai or Defence Colony in Delhi? Did they not see the sprawling bungalows in Chennai or Kerala—each engaged in a fierce competition with the one next to it?

They say one criterion was also Trust. Oh God!!! There has to be a big mistake somewhere… Have we been mistakenly declared as unhappy on the basis of this parameter??? They do not know us then. Not only do we trust others easily, as the conquests and plundering attacks by foreigners over thousands of years of our history has proven, but even today—we trust our rulers and vote; we trust God and walk barefoot or stand for hours in queues—trusting that our offerings will fetch us what we want. The coffers in our places of worship are bursting with gold and precious stones. And, of course, don’t we have abundant Holy figures and lakhs of their messengers and direct agents floating all around, coaching and guiding us? We cannot be unhappy then…

It is just not fair. We have thousands of elected representatives; we have thousands of bureaucrats. Did the surveyors not see their bungalows and cars and perks and privileges? Do they come across as unhappy? We have thousands with bank accounts each in Switzerland or Mauritius or businesses flourishing in the Gulf countries. They are so happy. All government offices where there is all-rest-and-no-work can boast of relaxed and happy employees.

Did they not cast a glance at those who drive gold-plated or diamond-studded cars or other costlier and luxurious vehicles? I guess, neither did they cast a look at the entire Bollywood which is spending, showering, circulating and earning in billions…

Generally speaking, too, we are a happy people. In an Ekta Kapoor serial, when the heroes defy death and re-emerge alive two to three times, we become no less happy than the heroines themselves. We win a bronze medal somewhere in an International sport, and we dance with joy. We rejoice at the birth of every baby and dozens of babies are born every minute in our country!!! They ought to have checked our population-related statistics. We must be the happiest, and hence, so many babies are born or the other way: babies are born every second in our country, and hence, our society must be in a permanent state of celebration.

By the way, where are you planning to tour this year? To Europe, or to the  Americas? Or are you planning to go to your cousin’s wedding? Ah Ahhh… then there is so much shopping to do! For the present, there is the bliss of the raindrops, to get soaked in. Then, there will be Raksha Bandhan, and another Eid and then another Deepawali and Christmas and snowfall in the hills… Then there will be more weddings and more bundles of joy joining the family… Life goes on! Who says we are not happy?

image not our own