Laugh club is ‘like morning alarm’

It Is Used As A Stress-Buster In Hospitals: Participants     Early one morning, in the twilight that exists between sleep and wakefulness, 28-year-old Sriram Narayanan was gripped by a surreal feeling. It sounded like a collective, fanatical "I-willtake-over-the-world" laughter and it came in bursts.      The culprits, though, weren't so much in his head as the garden outside his in-laws' apartment at Siddhachal, Thane, where the local laughter club assembles each day.      Across the city every day, entire neighbourhoods rise to the sound of the "morning alarm" that is the laughter club. An offshoot of modern "yogic" practices, a laughter club may generate noise levels ranging between 65 and 80 decibels (dB), far above the 45-55 dB allowed in residential zones. From Lokhandwala Complex to Carter Road, Borivli to Cuffe Parade, residents are rudely awakened by the loud chorus of 20-30 people laughing for about 30 minutes each morning.      On Thursday, in response to a petition by a 78-year-old resident of Kurla, the Bombay High Court recommended that the local laughter club shift to a garden or maidan. However, housing colonies located near open spaces are also troubled.      In fact, medical doctor Madan Kataria startedtheconcept of laughter yoga from the garden in Lokhandwala Complex in Andheri in 1995. Since then, residents of surrounding societies such as Regency and Accord are shaken out of their slumber by the "morning alarm", as they call it.      "First floor residents bear the brunt of the cacophony but all those whose flats face the garden listen to different types of raucous laughter every day. We rise and close the windows to mute the volume and bide our time until the ruckus subsides," says a 58-year-old member of Regency. Rashid Musa Memon of Accord has been asking the garden committee to intervene but they "pay no heed". "The health of hundreds is jeopardized by a few reckless people who engage in laughter exercises to improve their own health." Ironically, it is senior citizens who constitute the majority of clubs.      Of course, participants swear by laughter therapy saying it helps them start the day on a cheerful note. "Ordinarily one laughs in reaction to happiness,herethe actof laughing induces happiness," says Indu Mehta of Borivli. Laughter yoga is practised in over 60 countries and used as a stressbusting technique in hospitals and old-age homes.      However, founder Kataria agrees that no member should disturb the peace of the neighbourhood. "I fully respect the sentiments of the high court. In fact, I always recommend that laughter clubs sort matters out with the local community, even shift to an alternate location if need be," he says.      Over at the Gateway of India, 75-year-old practitioner Girdhar Peshawaria says his club does not function in a residential locality. "We conduct our laughter exercises right below Taj Mahal Hotel. In fact guests who look out of windows wondering what the noise is about often join us."  IN HIGH COURT      The Bombay High Court, on Thursday, observed that laughter clubs could disturb the peace of a residential neighbourhood. Responding to a plea by a 78-year-old Kurla resident, a division bench of Justices Sharad Bobde and Mridula Bhatkar urged the local Vinoba Bhave Nagar police to solve the problem.  LOUDER THAN TRAFFIC      Anti-noise pollution activist Sumaira Abdulali had measured the sound emanating from a laughter club in Joggers Park, Bandra, when residents complained a few years ago. "We found that the noise levels ranged from 65 to 80 decibels (dB) which is equivalent to the noise of traffic on a busy road. Given that laughter clubs operate during the quiet morning hour, this would appear to be an unsocial activity," she says.  HEALTH VIRTUES      Laughter relaxes the      body and mind, and      as a cohesive group activity, it allows people to vent their feelings and find solace. Most members are seniors who have few avenues of bonding and recreation anyway. Of course, loud noise can disturb others so the aim is to come to common ground"  Dr Sanjay Kumawat | CONSULTANT PSYCHIATRIST; THANE MENTAL HOSPITAL EX-DEAN IN FITNESS AND IN HEALTH: A laughter club in action near Gateway of India