live life with a smile

Move forward with a smile

Akash Malhotra was a 35-year-old software developer whose life was caught between morning traffic jams, office deadlines, and unfulfilled dreams at night. He always had a tired smile on his face, like a battery-operated robot. Wife Neha would often say, "Where did the sparkle in your eyes go?" Akash would reply, "The sparkle is stuck in paying bills." But one day, the doctor warned him—"Your blood pressure and stress level are dangerous. If not changed, there is a risk of heart attack." Akash realized for the first time that his life was like a blurred mirror in which he could not see his own face. That very evening, he told Neha, "Everything is going to change from tomorrow." Akash resigned. Neha was surprised, but Akash said, "Now I will do what makes me happy." He joined a small comedy class, where people were taught to laugh. On the first day, the teacher said, "Laughter should come from the heart, not just from the lips." Akash asked, "My heart has dried up." The teacher laughed, "Then give it water... with tears of laughter." In the same class, Akash met Radhika, a 60-year-old widow, who had come to fill her loneliness with laughter. Radhika said, "Son, I lost my husband, sent my son abroad... now this laughter is my companion." Akash thought—*Can grief and laughter really live together?* Akash started a "Laughter Therapy Walk". Every Sunday, he would go to the park and make people laugh for free. On the first day, only 5 people came. An old man said, "Son, there is pain hidden in your laughter." Akash replied, "Everyone has pain, but sharing laughter makes it lighter." Gradually, children, the elderly, and even people who were labeled as “mental” began to attend her sessions. One day, 12-year-old Rohit, who was suffering from depression, asked Akash, “Uncle, why do you keep laughing all the time?” Akash hugged him and said, “Because I am tired of crying.” Neha thought Akash’s journey was just a “phase.” One night, he said, “Your laughter will not let us fill our stomachs.” Akash replied, “You need bread to fill your stomach, but laughter to fill your heart.” The turning point came when a child in Neha’s school attempted suicide. He told Akash, “I don’t understand, how to handle this?” Akash took him to his session. There, Neha saw how a little girl, who had no legs, was making everyone laugh. That night, Neha told Akash, “You are right… laughter is the language that shares pain.”   



Akash's work started getting published in the newspapers. Some praised him, others said, "This is madness." One day, a politician objected to his sessions—"It is misleading people." Aakash challenged him: "You also come, try laughing once."   

That day was historic. The politician was arrogant at first, but then burst out laughing at one of Radhika's jokes. The media ran the headline: *"Laughter won, hatred lost!"*   

One day, Aakash went to the doctor when he felt unwell. The test results were unbearable. Aakash found out that he had cancer. Neha cried, but Aakash said, "Now it has become even more important that we laugh." He started going to the children's ward in the hospital. There he made the children laugh by becoming a "clown doctor." A little girl, whose hair had fallen out due to chemotherapy, asked him, "Uncle, do I look beautiful?" Akash put a colorful wig on her head and said, "You are a flower that blooms in every season." Akash's health deteriorated, but he did not give up. In his last days, hundreds of people came to meet him. Radhika said, "You taught me how to live." Rohit, who was now in college, said, "Because of you, I chose art... to put laughter on canvas." Akash breathed his last when Neha was reciting a dialogue from his favorite comedy film "Chupke Chupke"—Life should not be long, but big. After Akash's death, Neha carried forward his mission. "Laughter Clubs" were formed in every corner of the city. Akash's story became a book—live life with a smile. Every year a "laughter festival" is celebrated in his memory, where people burn their sorrows in fire and move forward laughing. Laughter is not a destination, it is a journey...  

which leaves footprints on the stones of pain.  

Live life with a smile, because it is the light,  

which makes even the darkness colorful. 

This story teaches that laughter is not just an emotion, but the art of living. Be it illness, despair, or social pressure - laughter is the weapon that can win every battle. The journey of Akash and Neha shows that happiness grows only when shared, and a ray of smile can erase all darkness.  

This story of Live life with a smile is not only to be read, but to be lived. Embrace every moment, because this is the gift that God gives us every day.