The pandemic has changed the meaning of happiness for many people. On International Day of happiness, these celebrities tell us how the pandemic impacted their happiness.
Sharad Malhotra:
Happiness is a very subjective term. Small things make me happy like going for a cup of coffee with a friend and even having long conversations with my mom on the phone as she lives in Kolkata. The pandemic has taught us to value people’s time and life and we know who is important to us. Life is no longer the same. We have learnt to value relationships. I have developed patience also. Being happy means keeping your mind and heart positive irrespective of the situation and circumstances. Even playing with my pet Leo makes me happy.
Hemant Chaddha
I do what makes me happy. Pandemic has taught me to value all my relationships and work more. Having a cup of tea with a loved one also gives me joy. Gymming/exercising, taking care of my health, eating food of my choice and even going for a movie of my choice makes me happy.
Pragati Mehra :
Yes, the pandemic has redefined what really matters. For me materialistic things don’t contribute to ‘being happy’ anymore. Non-stop hustle does not mean happiness for me. For me happiness means taking life at a slower pace. Good health is happiness and I don’t mean flat abs but good mental and physical health, it is very different from hitting the gym and counting macros!
Namita Lal:
I have tried to stay focused on the things that I enjoy doing. So during the pandemic, I was stuck in Singapore for at least one and a half years and I managed to do online workshops on method acting with Jeff Goldberg’s studios in Mumbai which was something I always wanted to do. I also managed to do a short film, a feature film in Singapore. So, I stayed focused on the things I liked to do and also started reading a lot and working on my craft to stay happy.
Harjinder Singh:
The pandemic has definitely changed the meaning of happiness for everyone. When people were locked up in their houses, they understood how to be happy with small things. It’s not important that you can find happiness outside, you can find it inside. And being a family man, being with family makes me happier rather than going out, socializing with others and parties. Before We were busy all the time, but during the pandemic, we were at home, That time I spent time with my family. Understanding for each other increased. Things have changed like the projects we used to do, they used to get released by this time but because of these, it has changed. People have faced losses in their businesses. Try to find happiness in the little things according to me, learn to forgive, there is more joy in forgiveness. And now people have started valuing others’ lives rather than materialistic things and more than that people have started taking care of their health. People have realised that spending time with family and friends is very important because you can make memories together and have started valuing individuals.
Saanand Verma :
It is very important to be happy for small things that happen in life because the pandemic created a lot of stressful times for all of us. Going out with family was also not allowed and we all were completely locked inside the house. So now we have started to give a lot of respect to the small things in life. Now, we know the value of happiness and we’re welcoming small reasons to be happy in life. The pandemic impacted my happiness because we were not shooting and it was a very problematic scenario. We were struggling for vegetables, good food. Nothing was available. I’m a very positive person so I spent all my time on creativity. I polished my creativity skills. I made a lot of viral videos during the lockdown and I found another way to be happy, by making others happy. That is my takeaway from the pandemic.
Hansa Singh:
Happiness is a very intrinsic part of our life. Happy mind, happy body. But we look for it outside. Covid and the pandemic did halt all happiness that was outside. So I had no choice but to look within. When I look back, I would say it was life-changing. To be happy with my own company as I stay alone is what I learnt. The video calls with family and friends helped. But yes, I have evolved as a human being. To look for happiness in my being, Small small things matter. And I have been happy with all that. Trust me, it’s all within. Happy me, happy soul, happy world.
Nilam Kenia:
I feel happiness is a state of mind. I am responsible for my own happiness, people and things only add to my already happy state. I believe if you associate your happiness with people, places, things, as in external stuff, your happiness will always depend on that and in their absence, you won’t be happy. Also, happiness is in the now. That is what even a pandemic brought up for me. That we can be happy wherever we are. Now we can survive on bare basics.
Puja Agarwal:
Being happy has always been part of my life. My definition of happiness has definitely changed to being a minimalist. I can say, I have happy genes which I got from my mother. I find happiness in everything. It’s my first nature. For me, the key to happiness is ‘Give more, Expect less’.
