I mostly like being alone — while eating, watching movies or sleeping. I have been travelling all over the world alone for one-and-a-half year now. Being alone is freedom for me. I can do everything that I want, and when I want. But when I think my happiest times, I remember the moments I shared with other people. So, happiness means sharing for me. The foods I liked most are the foods I ate with other people. The movies I enjoyed most are the movies I watched with other people. And the places I liked most during my travel are the ones I travelled with other travellers. If people can share everything, the world will become a happy planet.

— Ozgur Kaya Mutlu, Turkey

The sun has been shinning Once again on the forbidden and frozen landscape.

The snow of emotions and misunderstandings

Have been melting away;

And evaporating under the heat of the roaring sun.

Life looks better and full of joy once again.

The chirping calls of the birds,

The buzzing of the bees,

The nodding of the flower heads,

The passing of the cool breeze,

Lift my spirit

Pushing me once again

To look at the rosier side of life.

For a moment all the pain in life disappears.

The refreshing breeze and the cloudless sky reminds me

That life is brighter than frozen death,

Life is bigger than all possible imaginations.

And that life is full of happiness

Only if we wish to look at it

On a brighter and sunnier day.

— Saikat Kumar Basu, Lethbridge AB, Canada

Happiness is when you feel satisfied. Happiness is when you feel good about yourself from inside of your heart. For me, happiness means enjoying little things and appreciating what I have. I feel happy when I can make other people happy,

help people and make them laugh. Also, success led through own efforts makes me happier.

— Kabita Poudel, Mid Baneshwor, Kathmandu

I believe happiness doesn’t depend on the big events of life but in the little things of life. I feel happy when I see the moon shining brightly in early morning, bidding farewell to the night, while making space for the sun or when the sun rays fall on snow-capped mountains making it glitter. Anything — the birds that make the surrounding of my house their sanctuary or dainty flowers smiling at me — bring happiness to me and make my life worth living.

— Dreamtwriter, Kalimpong

Happiness is a relative term. For me, happiness is being able to reflect on what I have done with pride and integrity. It is being able to have a sound sleep after having a worthwhile day of hard work.

— Sumit Khadka, Bhaktapur

For me happiness is being with loved ones. My family, friends and everyone are the reasons behind my smile — they all make me happy by supporting me and helping me in every step of my life. And when they are happy I am happy too.

The next factor that makes me happy is nature. I enjoy the blow of the air on my face, I love the rain drops soaking me and the likes.

— Sheikh Azam, Birgunj

Satisfaction is happiness for me. Whatever you go through in your life — triumph or defect, hate or love, joy or sadness — feeling of satisfaction is the only one factor for happiness.

— Santosh Chaulagai, Sindhupalchok

For me, happiness lies in small things. Innumerable things make me happy — playing tunes on my guitar and hiking among others. I also become happy when the patients I have treated come with a smiling face and show their gratitude for alleviating their infirmities. The smile of my son with his babbling “Baba” makes me happy or listening to my favourite songs and watching movies give pleasure to me.

— Dr Inclub Dhungana, Manipal Teaching Hospital, Pokhara

Every human in this world loves to become happy and I’m no exception. To many people, happiness means achievement, victory, success and opportunity. For me, happiness is when I achieve something in my life which seems important as well as especial to me.

— Pratik Shrestha, Buddhanagar, Baneshwor

Happiness is satisfaction for me. Moreover, expressing my thoughts and feelings via writing articles makes me happy. I become the happiest person of this world when my articles are published in The Himalayan Times.

— Sanjog Karki,Tansen-6, Basantapur, Palpa

Dictionary defines happiness as emotions experienced when in a state of well-being. This states much about what happiness means to me — it’s a state of being satisfied where we love ourselves doing whatever we do. I’m happy to have this life.

— Prasit Sijapati, Imadole, Lalitpur

There are so many things that make me happy. I like take to ‘selfie’ and it makes me happy whenever I am able to do so. Sharing my feelings with others, making new friends, shopping, celebrating party with crazy friends, spending time with my family and speaking different languages are also the source of my happiness. I like to enjoy my life without any boundary and this is what makes me happy.

— Jasmin Khanal, Chabahil, Kathmandu

I seek happiness in people around me — they make me happy. I don’t need big things. Taking pictures of nature, long conversation with my friends, family gathering, dancing crazily, reading books, visiting historical places, watching wrestling — all these things make me happy which is why I enjoy these activities.

— Rowin Tamang, Jorpati, Kathmandu

John Lennon once said, ‘The soul’s purpose is to stay happy”. He understood life. Happiness is a paradox and is achieved from the smallest of things. For me happiness is seeing my family proud. But I am happy when I succeed in recharging balance on my phone on my first try or when waiter brings the food I order in a restaurant. Listening to classic rock music with a bunch of guys is pure happiness. Long bike rides with guys, exciting books, satisfaction, cute children, watching stars and moon — they all bring happiness. Above all, watching Manchester United play is an absolute delight. However, in recent times, watching actress Samragyee R L Shah’s sheer greatness on screen makes me more than happy.

— Suraj Khatri (Zarruz), Bhaktapur

Happiness for me is making my parents proud of me. Their happiness is my happiness. I want to see them happy and don’t want to disappoint them because they are the people who are precious to me. Without their support, I wouldn’t have been able to be in this position.

— Hira Nath Dahal, Maharajgunj Medical Campus, IOM, Kathmandu

I think real happiness is buried behind one man’s acts. Happiness is nowhere but is living in our heart. It is better to peep into our heart to get it rather than to search for it. We must be content and do our work honestly. Thus, the secret of happiness perhaps lies in doing the right things.

— Abiral Pritam Bhandari, Dhobighat, Lalitpur

Happiness for me is all about making others smile, and be satisfied in whatever I have. Because I am altruistic in nature — caring for others, spending time helping them often gives me a lot of happiness. Happiness for me also means being around people I love, eat chocolates, go shopping but the major factor of happiness in my life is helping others. That’s how I am happy.

— Shistata Subedi, Ghattekulo, Maitidevi

For me happiness is being the reason behind someone’s smile. But most importantly, seeing my parents proud of the smallest deeds I have done gives me utter satisfaction and joy. Happiness is also about reading novels and falling in love with the literary characters or watching Joshua Bowman (British actor) on screen and having butterfly in my stomach. Happiness is also fighting with siblings while watching TV and winning that battle for remote — that’s real happiness. Meeting an old friend after years, and munching burger with fries and sipping diet coke while feeling nothing has really changed, I could not be more delighted. Happiness is when you have someone who loves you unconditionally with all your flaws. It also means strawberry ice cream and chocolate brownie.

— Moon KC, Butwal

Different people have different perceptions on happiness. Some prefer money or power to be happy. If a beggar gets food to eat, s/he becomes happy. If a mother sees smile on her child’s face, she becomes happy. Happiness means different from person to person. For me, it is my sister. Every second I spend with her is happiness for me. Fighting with her, laughing out loud, sharing chocolates unwillingly, doing pranks on others make me happy. My sister is world to me.

— Sonika Lamichhane

In my life, the meaning of happiness has been changing with time. As a child, getting what I desired for meant happiness to me. The smile and sweet talks of my beloved started to excite me with unbounded happiness as I entered adulthood. At present, happiness (which I used to consider as the greatest) is my daughter’s sweet smile, and innocent talks.

— Manoj Khadka, Illam

For me, happiness is to be able to live a life without regrets. Also, it is to be able to confess those things which you have hold for just too long. But I am the happiest when I am with people who I can share anything with, without thinking twice. In short, happiness is freedom in all aspects and to enjoy it.

— Sunita Shakya, Lalitpur

I have many targets and planning related to my career — I am a social worker and I have been working in this sector for one-and-a-half decade. I am in a managerial position in an NGO. If I am considered the best performer in my job then I tend to be happy.

— Arjun Prasad

Happiness is the psychological state of mind where we get satisfaction. It is the state where we are free from stress, anxiety, fear and worry. Meaning of happiness differs from people to people. Happiness for me is about enjoying in life and being positive in ones life no matter where you are. The factors that make me happy are — doing something that is useful and different, doing something for the needy one, expecting less, reading books, sports, newspaper, music and hanging out with friends and family.

— Prakash Sitoula, Duwagadi-7, Shanker Dev College

I believe that if we lead a healthy and active life, remain honest and positive to our duties, sacrifice a bit for larger interests of the family and society and yearn less for material possessions; the window of happiness will surely open up.

— Kajal Chatterjee, Kolkata, India

I am content with what I have and what the future holds for me. I see people work to accomplish unrealistic goals, and it amuses me. They want house, fame, car, the latest cell phone, et cetera. But I am happy as long as I can keep the near and dear ones happy, provide my family with good meal, give them a roof over their head, and a few pair of clean clothes to them.

— Suyog Upadhaya, Skylark English School, Dhapasi, Kathmandu

Travelling with friends to different places without a plan, achievements that surpass expectations, being surrounded by wonderful friends and family are some factors that make me happy in life. Little moments of joy — be it fighting over that last piece of meat with siblings on Saturday lunch or friends trying to make me happy when I’m grumpy for no reason — never fail to surprise me and make

me happy.

— Yogesh Babu Dawadi, Sorhakhutte, Kathmandu

Happiness means being satisfied and content of what one has. It inspires us to overcome life’s failures. Happiness is looking forward to possibilities and expecting them to make a good turn. It is also to let go of the regrets and mistakes. It also means not dwelling over the past, instead it teaches us to cherish a tinge of colourfulness in one’s black and white world. Moreover, seeing a spark of happiness in other’s warm smile,

listening to a motivational talk, and achievement ignite

my happiness.

— Sonam Lama Hyolmo, Boudha

The essence of happiness differs from person to person. Sometimes the big achievements spread happiness in life whereas sometimes a small thing can also create happiness. For me happiness is being self-satisfied in life. There is no such thing in this world, which can make you happy if you are not satisfie d with yourself or the things you have in life. Valuing the things/ persons in life can be the important factor leading

to happiness.

— Tejaswi Pahari, Jawalakhel, Lalitpur

Different people perceive happiness differently. For instance, I feel comfortable and happy when I am with my family and friends. Having expensive cell phone, cars, house, et cetera make some people happy. In reality these things do not guarantee a happy life. People who have wealth can be unhappy just as the poor can be living on

cloud nine.

— Arjun Jung Basnet, Hattiban, Lalitpur

For me, happiness is a state of mind and never determined by the material stuff. You feel happy when you reminiscence your childhood with your school friends or siblings. Happiness is when you have whole night chitchat with your long lost best friend. Happiness means getting to travel to new destinations. It means making parents proud by topping the class, among others.

— Sagina Maharjan, Patan

Everything I do is for bringing happiness and satisfaction in my life. I always prioritise happiness in my life. From the very young age, I was taught to be happy and enjoy every moment of life. I believe that

human life has two rules — learning to be happy and being happy to learn. This is the thing that keeps me motivated in every situation.

— Nitya

Happiness is the feeling of joy and pleasure... there are certain things that make me feel pleasant. Involving in social activities and helping the needy ones give me happiness. Whenever I help the needy people, it gives me the feeling of self-satisfaction and brings smile on my face. Thus, helping others makes me happy.

— Rajeshwor Kamali (Sagar), Chiti-7, Lamjung

Happiness is a vague term because it differs from person to person. However, in my context happiness is something that satisfies me. Doing a great job and having luxurious life doesn’t mean happiness. To be happy, one needs to fall in love with the work and accept reality. The person who possesses humility, kindness, and can manage his/her work on time is happier.

— Anonymous

At one point of my life, drinking and clubbing around made me the happiest person. Sometimes it was Thomas Hardy, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and William Faulkner that made me happy. One constant factor that has kept me happy at all times is travel, which I never get enough of. Travel makes and keeps me happy all the time. Travel also allows me to enjoy the infectious company of writers like Hardy, Marquez and Faulkner and sounds of Tupac, Jefferson Airplane, Amy Winehouse and Snoop Dogg.

— Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu

Freedom is happiness for me. Freedom is the ability for me to grow up, to build up, to establish myself, and to groom myself as per my desires. Freedom provides me the opportunity to go anywhere, and do whatever I want to do. My parents have always been providing me the freedom to do anything I like. Thus, freedom is only thing that opens the door of happiness and makes me satisfied.

— Neelima Khanal

If I am healthy then I can earn money and be free. Being healthy means being be free from diseases, tension et cetera. If I am healthy, I am happy. My family is another source of my happiness.

— Hari Ohm Bhandari, Kupondole Lalitpur

Happiness comes from incidents like — falling in love for the first time, surprise birthday party, surprise gifts, et cetera. An echo of fabulous words or a sentences, unplanned meeting with childhood friends, wishing your loved one good night before you fall asleep are other things that make you happy.

— Saksham Shrestha, Chappalkarkhana,Kathmandu