HAPPINESS-WHERE ARE THOU?

What is happiness? Chamber’s Twentieth Century Dictionary defines happy as well-being, pleasure, taking things as they come. I saw the other day a newspaper report that Indians are not as happy in 2019 as they were in 2018, and the country figures at 140, seven spot down from last year, says the U.N.World Happiness Report ,2019.The list is topped by Finland for the second successive year, as per the U.N.General records, taking 156 countries as how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be, noting there has been an increase in negative emotions including worry, sadness and anger.

Why there has been sustained drop in India, which rank below Pakistan 67th, Bangladesh 125, China 93 is a point for consideration. Happiness is an abstract thing like beauty, taste etc. and to measure in an individual is a difficult proposition. All the negative factors emanate from the basic factor of poverty, hunger, disease and impoverishment and non –availability of means for sustainable existence

. This even after 72 years of independence and still bracketed with countries in Africa is a matter for deep thought and consternation. China which was a proletarian country and converted to different idealism in 1949, almost the same time as India got freedom foreign yoke has tremendously progressed on all fronts and is now in trade war with U.S., its goods flooding the world market Even in rural China I saw hygienic condition which I could not see even in big cities in in India.

Wherever I go whether U.S. or Russia or Canada I see Chinese goods and in our own country one can find all their goods in electronic, house hold appliances fancy wares etc. Similarly, I saw the same situation in Japan also which was almost exterminated in world war II and now one of the biggest industrial countries in the world.

What is the secret of the success of these countries and what is lacking in our country? We have no dearth of skill and knowledge and we learn about the success stories of mighty kingdoms in the north and the south in early history of India. Where has it gone? Mere slogan shouting as “Garibi hatao” and “achhe din” is only for electioneering. But real mantra is “hard work, determination and will to succeed “and the real need for the hour is social upliftment and it should be instilled in the minds of the upbringing from early days of childhood.

There was an atheist leader in the South who said that he saw God in the smile of the poor and downtrodden. The former President A.P.J Abdul Kalam visualized that India would become a powerful country in the year 2020.Let the coming generation make India stronger, wealthier, healthier  happier and make India a proud country.

Mr. Sivasekaran Ratnavelu - SKETCH OF BIO-DATA

MA postgraduate in Economics, a Law Graduate  Fellow Member of the Institute of Cost and management Accountants  of India(FCMA),Fellow Member of  the Institute of Company Secretaries of India(FCS), held senior positions in the Government of Tamilnadu and State Public Sector undertakings with a stint as Controller of Finance in the University of Madras on deputation, a strict teetotaller, health freak, with early morning  yoga asanas, a vegetarian  and voracious reader especially management and allied journals, guest lecturer to help poor Commerce students, still keeping active  by practicing as Company Secretary and Management  and Cost Consultant and a globe  trotter and visited most of the countries except Africa and South America to know their people and culture  and their living conditions vis-à-vis our own country. No sugar, no cholesterol and other complaints and my psychological and biological age as seen lately is 42 though I am an octogenarian. My motto is keep active in mind and body and help others within your means, so that as our ex-President Abdul Kalam  once remarked “your birth may be an incident but your death should be an event of remembrance”