Nothing to smile about
The happiness index is a western concept. But make no mistake, an India-specific one will make us unhappier
This will make many unhappy, but so be it. India ranked 122nd out of 155 countries, even behind Pakistan and Nepal, in the global list of the happiest countries, according the World Happiness Report 2017. What’s worse, India has gone down four notches since the last ranking. No prizes for guessing which nations figure at the top end of the list: Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland. If this is of any solace to Indians wallowing, China is nowhere in the first 10. The report concluded that its people are not happier than they were 25 years ago. And even Britain is not in the top 10 though former Prime Minister David Cameron in 2010 started a national debate on developing a “wellbeing index”.
Since India unfailingly quibbles about all standards used by these global lists, there will be some reserved for this one too: The parameters are too “western” is the usual refrain. This happiness index is based on GDP per person, healthy life expectancy, social support during times of difficulty, freedom to make their life’s choices, and sense of how corrupt their society is. We agree these might be alien concepts to us. Take for example, healthy life expectancy. In a country where getting access to basic medical support is itself a dream for many, how can we be judged on “healthy” life expectancy? Then there is that wishy-washy parameter called freedom to make their life’s choices. At a time, when we don’t even know whether we have the right to eat the meat of our choice, this is so superfluous. Last, but not the least, corruption. It’s a way of life here, for god’s sake! What a banal question!
Now that we have finished trashing the index, (we reiterate) a “western conspiracy” to make us feel inferior, think how we would have fared if it was based on things that are close to our hearts since the last 70 years: Roti, kapda, and makan. Or a few new ones: Access to clean water, primary education, and the latest fad, internet connectivity. So don’t waste time devising a new one. We’ll be at the bottom of the barrel, anyway. As someone said once upon a time: Don’t worry, be happy.