BANGALORE: On Monday, when five elderly citizens , all of them women, walked into the office of an IT company in Kadirenahalli , south Bangalore, they had a mission: to ensure all 104 employees laugh away their Monday morning blues. And that's just what happened.

The five seniors, including a retired school principal, a heart patient and a kindergarten teacher, had floated a laughter club with the simple aim of making people happy. What was so far only a park exercise moved to the IT corridors on Monday.

"We all have problems at home. But when we interact with everyone with a smile on our face, the problem seems smaller. I was a heart patient 10 years ago but not anymore. Laughter therapy has helped me regain my energy," says Saraswathamma, a 63-year-old who started the Avalahalli Laughter Club, nearly a decade ago.

She has company in Sudha Suresh (52), GK Shyamala (64), Jayamma CS (58), Kusuma S Hande (64) were the unexpected guests at Evolving Systems. The five bubbly women turned the entire office space into a laughter club within minutes. For the first time, the club got an invite from the IT company to perform the laughter exercises on a Monday as a stress-busting activity.

For Kusuma, a home-maker, the whole idea of making people laugh is to change mindsets.

"No grim faces in office, no heated arguments. Smile, giggle and laugh at the problem. You will feel light. But do smile when you look at everyone around you," was the message of laughter club members.

"Have you seen any dog smiling or a puppy giggling? Only a human being can laugh and we must be proud of being able to laugh. Appreciate each other with a smile on your face and ease the hectic working style," Sudha told the employees.

After bringing joy to several hundred children as a school principal, Shyamala did not rest. "Laughter is a natural medicine, available free of cost. To laugh is good for the self and for the people around. We are happy to teach laughter therapy to techies who work under so much stress," she said.

Tony Borthwick, a software architect with the company who visited the office on Monday from UK, was taken in by Indian way of busting stress. "I was excited to see women laughing and making everyone laugh. It generates team spirit and helps to build morale among employees. I appreciate such sessions which have immediate impact," said Tony.

