Laughing Out Loud!
Following the popular ‘April Fool’s Day’ which is recognized on April 1st, comes another event internationally known as ‘World Laughter Day’ which falls on May 1st. This annual laughter event which is celebrated by over 105 countries globally, initially originated in India. It was first celebrated in the year 2008, as part of an initiative taken by Dr Madan Kataria to create awareness about the healing powers of laughter.
The birth of Mumbai’s laughter clubs
Have you ever come across a group of people gathered together in a garden or on a beach, simply standing around and laughing? Well, that’s what laughter clubs are all about. Laughing!
Laughter clubs were the brainchild of none other than Dr Madan Kataria, founder of the Laughter Yoga movement in India and president of over 45 laughter clubs across Mumbai. Dr Kataria set out to prove that ‘Laughter Is Indeed ‘The Best Medicine’. And on 13 March 1995, Dr Kataria along with a group of participants formed the first laughter club in Mumbai. They would meet every morning, stand in a circle, practise breathing and laugh!
Dr Kataria has even gone on to create a ‘menu’ of different laughs, such as:
- Silent laugh
- Jumping laugh
- Cocktail laugh
- Arm swinging laugh
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Krysten Keymer is a senior social media specialist, ex-journalist and blogger. Writing and art are her greatest passions and she spends most of her free time indulging in them. She also loves baking, make-up, fashion, spending time on social media, and pampering her pet ‘Bunny’ who can be a handful but also a super cute ball of fluff!