A Happy post for a happy new year!

Ever experienced a feeling of loneliness despite having a cluster of friends around? Friends with whom you have an endless list of topics you can talk about. Friends who you really hope meeting forward to, who are jovial, great people to hang out with, still, somehow the boredom creeps in. Happiness fails to find a place.

Similar story, few years back, I went to see the Taj Mahal. Although I had seen it before, I was very much looking forward to seeing it again. After all, it’s one of the Seven Wonders of the World and who wouldn’t like to visit it? Surprisingly, this time around happiness eluded me. I still say that it’s a magnificent piece of art, no denying the fact, but just that it did not bring me happiness then. Maybe it was the crowded atmosphere, the array of agents lined up for explaining history, hundreds of professional photographers occupying every clickable area, the black soot, the yellow colored marble, I really don’t know what. If this place doesn’t give me happiness, then what will? Something’s sure wrong with me, I kept thinking.

On the same Delhi trip, I visited Akshardham temple. It was then recently build in Delhi and had not become popular yet. I went there with no expectations from the place and had planned to see it in an hour’s time and leave. But once I went inside this beautiful place, never realized how time passed by and ended up spending the entire day in the temple. The place has some of India’s finest architecture and very detailed stone carvings. I was awestruck with the majesty of the place. It certainly brought me happiness, the feeling of joy. I don’t want to compare it with the great Taj Mahal, but just want to say a few things about things that bring us happiness and things that don’t.

• Happiness is not always there where you expect it to be.
• Having the best things around you does not guarantee happiness.
• Happiness doesn’t mean things are in perfect melody.
• If only we'd stop trying to be happy we'd have a pretty good time.
• Happiness depends on me rather than the things around me.

A long time friend accidentally meeting you will bring happiness. A phone call from a person whom you never expect to hear from will bring happiness. A childhood note of yours lying in some old cupboard will bring happiness. Accidentally finding money in your old jeans will bring you happiness. Unexpectedly tuning into your favorite childhood song on the radio will bring happiness.

Don’t keep searching for Happiness, it will come to you anyways! But not in the ways you thought it would…..