People crowd a market area outside a train station in Mumbai. (Representational image)
The most recent edition of the Happiness Index of the World Happiness Report (WHR) published in 2021 positioned India at rank 139 out of 149, making it the eleventh least happy country in the world. An offering of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the World Happiness Report released its first report in 2012 and from 2013 onwards (where it ranked 111 out of 130 countries), India has been falling in ranks with each passing year.
The WHR report is based on ‘life evaluations’ done by the World Gallup Poll, which asks its respondents to assign themselves particular positions on an imaginary ladder, with the highest position equaling a 10 and the lowest equaling a 0. Respondents that score seven or more are categorized as ‘thriving’, while those scoring between 4 and 7 are categorized as ‘struggling’ and those scoring below four are outright categorized as ‘suffering’. India scored a dismal 3.819 in 2021, which means that Indians are suffering in terms of happiness.
While the Happiness Index of the World Happiness Report has faced criticism from commentators who say that happiness cannot be quantified based on a set of indices on a small area of the population and generalized, it can certainly be used to invoke certain questions for us Indians: What is happiness? How do we find it? How can we be called a happier nation? As Buddha said: Both happiness and sadness are our responsibility. Therefore, I believe that if structural changes are made to all aspects of our lives, we can thrive and truly be ‘happy’. Happiness, according to me, should be defined as contentment in all areas of life – both work and personal.
But before that step, it is essential to identify the areas where we will need to work most on. The World Happiness Report 2021 basically measured the effects of COVID-19 on people and how it impacted their happiness. We know that the second COVID-19 wave in India, which peaked in April 2021, had devastating effects on life and our economy. Indians were uncertain about how much longer the pandemic would keep disrupting lives, and there was a renewed focus on the importance of mental health which had become a challenge for people, especially those in the workforce. The WFH model had become the norm and people were getting used to balancing both office work and domestic chores on their own, in the absence of help. I believe the pandemic did lead to the creation of sort of a ‘happiness vacuum’ of sorts because of all these reasons. I say this was utmost unprecedented because an Indeed Global Survey Report published in December 2020 said that Indians were very optimistic about their career prospects in 2021. The report highlighted that majority of Indians in the organized workforce believed that their companies would prioritise health and safety and also give importance to mental health considerations. The resurgence of the pandemic in 2021 meant that things played out differently than expected.
So where are we really going wrong in terms of happiness? Employers cannot keep blaming the pandemic or other disasters for their own misgivings.
As a mentor and business coach who has been in the business of grooming entrepreneurs and leaders in Indian corporates, I have noticed that many companies do not have a positive work culture. Employees’ productivity is merely judged based on the quantifiable derivatives. If a leader is able to lend a listening ear to an employee and instill enough confidence in the latter to sort of convert that confidence into tangible results, that organization is said to have achieved both quantifiable and non-quantifiable goals. Expecting results without enforcing a positive work culture where feedback is valued and every voice is heard will not work out for any workplace in the long run and its employees cannot be called ‘happy’ even if they are earning well. Companies should increasingly give more attention to the overall health and wellness of employees, which I believe will be a positive step forward towards achieving collective happiness.
The same can be applied to our homes. Very often, it can be found that there is a lack of open communication at homes due to the parochial idea that ‘one person decides and the others merely follow’. There is no scope for discussion or feedback. This needs to completely change. A ‘positive home culture’ coupled with a ‘positive work culture' is the only way in which India can truly win in the pursuit of happiness. Materialism along with an emphasis on the non-material will take us forward and help us perform better in the next World Happiness Report.
Written By: Gaurav Bhagat, Founder, Gaurav Bhagat Academy
