HUMOUR

The Essential Essence for Harmony

- Dr. D.K.Hari & Dr. D.K.Hema Hari

The World Laughter Day was first celebrated on May 10, 1998, in Mumbai, India. The day was arranged by Dr Madan Kataria, founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement. Since then, every year on May’s first Sunday, World Laughter Day is observed to raise awareness about laughter and its healing benefits.

THE FINER NUANCES OF HUMOUR

The English word humour comes from the Latin word Humere, Humour meaning ‘fluid and juice in the body’. How the word humour, which originally represented ‘bodily fluids’, came to mean something ‘funny’ is a little hazy. Fluids in body affect physical and mental state of a person. Perhaps humour comes from this notion.

In India, the word for humour is Hasya meaning ‘that which invokes laughter, Hasyam’. From the word Hasya is derived the Hindi word Hasi for laughter. The word Hasi has its own significance. In Urdu, people call their children Haseen (boy), Haseena (girl) meaning, ‘one who is beautiful’, a beauty that comes with joy, happiness. In Africa too, the name Hasin means good.

SMILE – THE MOST TASTEFUL ORNAMENT

In Tamil, Nagai Chuvai is the word for humour. Nagai means laughter, smile. Nagai also means ‘ornament’.