Group finds exercise is not a laughing matter now
Source: Agencies |
June 27, 2012, Wednesday
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FOR the last week, the laughter around Sheetal Talao pond in suburban Mumbai has taken on a muzzled quality.
On June 18, Mumbai's high court told police to do something about the laughter that erupted beneath Vinayak Shirsat's windows each morning, causing his family "mental agony, pain and public nuisance," according to the Press Trust of India.
Since then, members of the Sheetal Jogging Association - who have been coming to the pond for three years for laughter yoga, devotional singing and light exercise - have been trying to contain their mirth.
"Nobody's laughing now," said member Badruddin Khan.
Sheetal Talao is, in truth, not a nice pond. The water is low and scuzzy with trash. But it's the only open space in a neighborhood of winding lanes in the northern suburbs of India's densely packed financial capital. The single spot of constant shade - a small gazebo - is right in front of Shirsat's apartment, a three-story pink building. Nearby are two curved benches, rising from a small plot of red mud and weeds, that the club uses for meditation and laughter.
"Only this much space we've got. Where can we go?" said Prabhakar Naidu, 45, who said that since he started laughing he's been able to walk up stairs without getting winded.
Before the police and courts got involved, a dozen club members would gather around 7am to sing bhajans - devotional songs - and clap for seven minutes. Then they laughed out loud for two minutes. They would hold their ear lobes, tilt their heads back, and stretch their faces wide into smiles. "Ooh ooh, ha ha," went the chant. Then they'd sweep their arms to their toes and reach for the sky, opening their mouths wide to say, "Ha ha ha!"
Physician Madan Kataria claims to have founded the first laughter yoga club in Mumbai in the mid-1990s, based on the notion that laughter - whether real or fake - confers physiological and psychological benefits. His website says there are now more than 6,000 laughter clubs in 60 countries.
Yesterday morning, it seemed as if the members of the Sheetal Jogging Association were trying to whisper as they laughed, opening their mouths to gasp, "ha ha ha ... ha ha ha."
On June 18, Mumbai's high court told police to do something about the laughter that erupted beneath Vinayak Shirsat's windows each morning, causing his family "mental agony, pain and public nuisance," according to the Press Trust of India.
Since then, members of the Sheetal Jogging Association - who have been coming to the pond for three years for laughter yoga, devotional singing and light exercise - have been trying to contain their mirth.
"Nobody's laughing now," said member Badruddin Khan.
Sheetal Talao is, in truth, not a nice pond. The water is low and scuzzy with trash. But it's the only open space in a neighborhood of winding lanes in the northern suburbs of India's densely packed financial capital. The single spot of constant shade - a small gazebo - is right in front of Shirsat's apartment, a three-story pink building. Nearby are two curved benches, rising from a small plot of red mud and weeds, that the club uses for meditation and laughter.
"Only this much space we've got. Where can we go?" said Prabhakar Naidu, 45, who said that since he started laughing he's been able to walk up stairs without getting winded.
Before the police and courts got involved, a dozen club members would gather around 7am to sing bhajans - devotional songs - and clap for seven minutes. Then they laughed out loud for two minutes. They would hold their ear lobes, tilt their heads back, and stretch their faces wide into smiles. "Ooh ooh, ha ha," went the chant. Then they'd sweep their arms to their toes and reach for the sky, opening their mouths wide to say, "Ha ha ha!"
Physician Madan Kataria claims to have founded the first laughter yoga club in Mumbai in the mid-1990s, based on the notion that laughter - whether real or fake - confers physiological and psychological benefits. His website says there are now more than 6,000 laughter clubs in 60 countries.
Yesterday morning, it seemed as if the members of the Sheetal Jogging Association were trying to whisper as they laughed, opening their mouths to gasp, "ha ha ha ... ha ha ha."
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