Happy Days are here again

"Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." - Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)

If the above quote has even an iota of truth in it, I think, I am seeing a lot of butterflies these days, thanks to all those different advertising campaigns making use of the happiness platform to create product awareness. Happiness has become the mantra of modern advertising and it is much more than just a spiritual commodity.

Still perplexed? Peek into one “fine” day of my life to find out more about the numerous butterflies of happiness that I visualize…

My day begins with a lazy yawn, a quick look at the wall-clock, a long stretch and a reflex action that immediately turns on Radio Mirchi. And if it is one of my lucky (or should I say happy) days, my timing always matches with Prakriti – the RJ – announcing with pride – “Kyonki Radio Mirchi Sun-ne-wale, Always Khush…”

The first butterfly is already on my shoulders…  

After splashing water onto my face, it’s time to catch the second butterfly and I know where it is – right there atop the Close-Up toothpaste tube. A gentle squeeze and red-tingy gel descends onto the tooth-brush. Visuals of the ad promising ‘social confidence’ quickly appear on the mind-screen. The mirror smiles at me and an instant wink captures the second butterfly.

With an air of freshness and two butterflies circling around me, it’s time for breakfast. I stride into the kitchen and happen to notice a packet of Good-Day biscuits. Time to release the third butterfly and catch it… Kaju Ho Ya Khushi – Dikhni Chahiye… saying so, I dip two biscuits into a cup of Bru Coffee (as the radio jingle says – Bru se hoti hai Khushi shuru) and the butterflies have two (double Khushi) more for company…

On the way to office, I notice a big banner ad from Pune Central announcing the mega-Happiness Sale. I recollect hearing a related-ad on Radio Mirchi. You can buy a happy kurta, a happy jeans, a happy sari, a happy etc, etc, etc
Welcome to Kalyug, where you can buy happiness literally !!!
Hmm… May be if I get time over the weekend, there are more butterflies to catch…

In the vicinity of the office, my olfactory system sensed the the distinctive mouth-watering aroma of frying aloo and onion bhajis. The thought of relishing kanda-batata bhajis during the monsoons suddenly crossed my mind. And piggy-backing that thought, was a recent advertisement that I saw on TV yesterday. This is a new ad of Dhara vegetable oil (the earlier one being the famous Jalebi ad) and it captures the gastronomic delight associated with eating bhajis on a rainy day in the backdrop of a mountainous landscape dotted with lush green vegetation. The ad is well-executed and ends with the tag line – Happy Hearts are Healthy Hearts!

So with a happy heart, as I walked up the office stairs, I met a colleague and she offered me a Kitkat -
Me: What’s the occasion ?
She: It’s my birthday today and the best way to celebrate it in office is to offer Kitkat?
Me: Eh Happy B’day – but tell me … why are you distributing Kitkat – For that matter any chocolate would do, right ?
She: Oh c’mon, haven’t u seen the latest Kitkat ad? It’s got the taste of happiness in it – Kitkat Kha, Happy Ho Ja…
Saying so, she left me stumped and I went on to sign the daily muster munching chocolate from the the packet of happiness.

I knew that Pune is home to the world’s happiest Indians, but I was not aware that I would find so many reasons to be happy…  

While I write this blog, I also realize that, with P Chidambaram having unfolded an industry-friendly neutral budget yesterday and the sensex jumping 200 points today, the Gross National Happiness definitely appears to be on the rise :)…