Happiness : Government Function or Personal Responsibility?
“Happiness is not a goal – it is a byproduct of a life well lived”
“Elenor Roosevelt”
International Happiness Day is celebrated on 20 March every year as proclaimed by the UN General Assembly Resolution 66/281 of 12 July 2012. Incidentally the resolution was moved by none other than Bhutan – a country which pioneered the concept of Gross National Happiness! The aim was to recognise the relevance of happiness and wellbeing as ‘universal goals and aspirations’ in the lives of human beings the world over and highlighting their importance in public policy objectives. Coinciding with this day a yearly World Happiness Report (WHR) is released by the Wellbeing Research Centre of University of Oxford in partnership with Gallup, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and an independent editorial board. Six main factors are considered in the evaluation of the state of various countries i.e. Social Support, GDP per capita, Health Life Expectancy, Freedom, Generosity and Perception of Corruption.
Happiness of a country has to be - must be - a sum of the happiness of its citizens. I have, over the years, been closely involved with young professionals and budding entrepreneurs. Having been interested in the link between their mental health and professional achievements, I have noticed often; and very clearly, that digital distraction adversely affects their focus/ attention span as also their reasoning and analytical abilities. As a result there is a huge wave of disappointment, resignation and resultant unhappiness in this section of our population. Not that elders are not afflicted as such – they are - equally, if not more!
Looking Forward : WHR 2026
It merits here to mention a book “ The Anxious Generation” by Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist in Stern School of Business at the New York University. His findings indicate that decline in youth happiness is driven by a transition from ‘play based’ childhood to a ‘phone based’ childhood. The science of well-being is a rigorous science which is being overshadowed by shallow media narratives. Accordingly theme for 2026 WHR has been selected to be ‘Social Media and Wellness.’ Key aspects of this report will cover the following aspects:-
- Digital Impact on Wellbeing – exploring how social media affects mental health and happiness levels.
- Technological Positivity – promoting ways to use digital platforms to enhance, rather than detract from, happiness.
- Intentional Use – encouraging mindful choices for deciding the extent of screen time and online engagement preferences.
- Related Focus – studies on links between digital happiness and life satisfaction. This focus aims to address the challenges of the digital age, aiming for more intentional and happier relationship with the technology.
The WHR also gives rankings to the countries and I will be awaiting eagerly the release of 2026 report as there have been some inexplicable surprises over the years. Ranking of India in 2025 was given as 118 out of 147 countries; lower than Nepal (92), Palestine (108), Pakistan (109) and Ukraine (111). Experts attribute low rankings to factors including income disparity, health issues and in some cases lack of data. However, it beats me as to how could Palestinians, Pakistanis and Ukrainians be more happy than us Indians – but may be I have inadequate data!
Government Action Plans
Keeping aside this institutional exercise, which may be motivated with a cleverly hidden agenda, we should have no doubt that govt policy decisions and administrative actions make a lot of difference in day to day life of ordinary citizens. Hence, there is an urgent need for obtaining transparency and probity in public life as also co-option of societal wants & demands in administrative endeavours. Most important, to my mind, is an overall reduction in corruption, to be ensured by suitable structural reforms and effective monitoring mechanisms at all levels.
PM Gati Shakti National Masterplan, launched in Oct 2021, provides integrated planning and coordinated execution for infrastructure projects in India. It bridges more than 16 ministries onto a GIS platform to improve multimodal connectivity, enhance logistic efficiency and accelerate economic growth. The focus is on roads, railway, airports, ports, mass transport, waterways, and logistic infrastructure. Similar coordination is required in the fields of health, education, agriculture, youth empowerment and small scale industries amongst others. Such initiatives must be empowered at the highest levels, and replicated down to all states, districts and development blocks. The inputs from the grassroots have to be formulated and channelised up the social and political veins through direct communication and through mainstream media.
Individual Responsibility
I wish to highlight here the need of efforts to be made by each one of us to ensure and safeguard our individual and family happiness. According to Aristotle, “happiness depends primarily on ourselves – our mindset, choices and actions – rather than external circumstances.” Osho is known to have said that happiness has nothing to do with what you have or don’t have; happiness is related to what you are!
It means cultivating gratitude, positive inner state free of excessive cravings and taking ownership of our actions/ reactions. We have to have a growth mindset, reasonable goals and a roadmap of how to achieve those with ethical labour. There is no upper ceiling of greed; we need to compare ourselves with those lower down in economic and power ladder to feel gratitude, keeping our personal aspirations at a reasonable level. The goals, as they say, have to be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time bound. We are responsible for our personal happiness and we can manage to be happy in whatever circumstances we are in, and yet try to evolve into better, richer, more powerful and successful individuals in life - it is all within us!
How do we inculcate the character and personality which can attract happiness? I am reminded of the Three Rustic Rules given to us by my parents more than 75 years ago – Always tell the truth, Respect your elders, and Follow rules. These have stood by us - me, my siblings and our progeny - through thick and thin. They may not have given our family sky rocketing fame or riches, but they have gotten us reasonable standard of living, good health, happy family life and respect in the society. The contentment and an inner sense of peace has to felt to be appreciated – if you have not experienced it, you may not realize what you are missing!
Therefore, let us endeavour to be aware citizens to propel our leaders to make policies for betterment of the Society at large; and simultaneously check our own mindset and attitudes for choices and actions aligned to give us personal happiness!
My late father used to say two things frequently – one, that you must spread your feet only as much as your blanket allows (living within your means) ; and two, do not covet anything which does not belong to you! Honesty and integrity are hard task masters but they pay you well in the long term. Righteousness of conduct with goodwill towards all goes a long way in making you happy!
Come, let us strive to be Happy to contribute to the overall Happiness of India as such!!
Author: The author is a recipient of Sena Medal & a life coach.
