Madhya Pradesh has to ensure happiness doesn't become boring
Madhya Pradesh is in the throes of happiness. The Happiness Department in Madhya Pradesh is organising a "Happiness Festival", making it the first state in the country to have such an event. Called the Anand Utsav, the week-long festival was inaugurated by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Bhopal on January 14 and would wrap up on January 21.
Speaking at the inauguration, the CM said that wealth, power and prestige alone cannot ensure happiness. One of the ways to be happy is to help others. He even went on to elaborate on the merits and mental ease at being fakkad or penniless.
Terming the initiative Aanandam, the CM exhorted people to donate what they have in excess. For this, containers have been installed at six points in the state capital where people can leave what they wish to donate for the needy. The CM and his wife Sadhna Singh brought with them old clothes, utensils, schools bags and other household items and left them in the container.
The Congress and AAP have predictably scoffed at the idea. The day the Utsav was announced, the Congress said that there are numerous problems plaguing MP and such festivals only aim to brush them under the carpet. AAP’s state convener Alok Agarwal said that since the CM wants people to donate what is in excess, he can start with his cabinet ministers most of whom are "crorepatis".
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| The Happiness Department in Madhya Pradesh is organising a "Happiness Festival". |
Anand Utsav is being replicated across the 51 district headquarters in the state. At the local level, the organisation and planning have been largely left to district collectors. In Rajgarh, Collector Tarun Pithode has organised trekking, hot air ballooning and sports activities.
In Barwani, collector Tejaswi Naik has linked the Anand Utsav to a helmet compliance drive after there was a spurt in deaths on two-wheelers. Linking life to happiness, the district administration conducts attendance in office based on whether the employee is wearing a helmet or not. Salaries are deducted in case an employee comes to office without a helmet.
The Happiness Department will also organise Anand Sabhas where students will be trained to develop a positive and analytical outlook, decision making, sensitivity towards others and accepting challenges. Moral Science, a subject included in the curriculum in many schools, will be stressed upon.
The key to the success of these initiatives is a group of volunteers that the Madhya Pradesh government has recruited. The volunteers, called Aanandaks, can register on the website of the Happiness Department and will be imparted training to positively impact the life of others. As of now nearly 25,000 Aanandaks have already registered.
Inspired by the idea of GNH or Gross National Happiness in Bhutan, the Madhya Pradesh CM had announced setting up of the Happiness Department in July 2016. The department would also hold conventions of employees to make them work positively encourage yoga and bring about lifestyle changes in people.
The challenge with the government is to now ensure that the Happiness Festival does not turn into a routine government programme with beneficiaries and volunteers just becoming mere statistic.
(Courtesy of Mail Today.)