20 days of unbridled happiness that engulfed Bhubaneswar

From the last 20 days, Bhubaneswar citizens had their happiness levels at their peak thanks to the Hockey World Cup.
Audience cheer for India during a Hockey World Cup match.
Audience cheer for India during a Hockey World Cup match.

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s interlude at the DOT Fest, on the sidelines of Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup, “Apana mane khushi ta? Mu bi khushi”, sent social media on a spin and spawned a blizzard of memes. But his observations could not have been truer.

Move over, Finland! Bhubaneswar was the happiest place on earth for the past 20 days when the world cup was on. There is no need for any scientific assessment to have a measure of the Happiness Quotient of Capital City during the period. The outpouring of positive emotions, the overt display of elation cutting across all sections and bridging social disparities all through is proof enough.

“That moment was just so hypnotic, so magical that the massive crowd was in no mood to resist. Claps, whistle everywhere with standing (sic). I haven’t heard that kind of loudest cheering before anywhere. My words fall short to describe how captivating it was,” a post by a user Jyoti Prakash Pradhan on Quora in reaction to the CM’s statement is a profound reflection of the public sentiments around the World Cup.

The experts and social scientists do agree. “There is no doubt that the World Cup raised the happiness quotient of the people of Bhubaneswar to the peak. The joy was unbridled arising out of an overpowering feeling of pride and overall well-being. By hosting such a global showpiece event flawlessly and in such spectacular manner, Bhubaneswar showed the world what it can do. Every citizen irrespective of social strata or standing eagerly became a part of the show,” Chairman, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, NISER Bhubaneswar, Prof Pranay Swain explained.

Worldwide studies around major sporting events like Olympics and world cups have shown a spike in the host country’s happiness quotient. It is centered around the massive infrastructure makeover, beautification, introduction of latest civic amenities and conveniences in the host cities that ignites a sense of heightened well-being among residents. A study even quantified England’s happiness quotient to around 165 pound sterling per person during Euro 1996. Bhubaneswar was no different and yet differentiated itself by making the event all-encompassing. The Government consciously turned the all-round transformation of Bhubaneswar into a 20-day unceasing festival.

In budding professional wedding photographer Anjan Panda’s words, “It wasn’t just about one sports event. From food festival to musical nights, the 16-day carnival was one of a kind experience which Bhubaneswarities will surely cherish for a long time. From beautifully painted walls to glittering parks and roads to swanky public transport, to see everything new and unique had really filled heart of city residents with joy.”

Noted psychologist and head of Department of Psychiatry, MKCG Medical College Berhampur, Prof Ajay Kumar Mishra termed the World Cup as a defining moment for Odisha. The psycho-socio-cultural impact of the event will be tremendous.  

For more developed nations or cities, the rise of happiness during such events is temporary and confined to the games phase only. For a city like Bhubaneswar, the memories will linger in many ways. Exposure of our youngsters to the best in the game will inspire them to take up sports while interactions with visitors, fans and players from across the world will leave a lasting impact on the general populace.

“The happiness quotient during the event can be described in four Es – Enthusiasm, Excitement and Encouragement leading to Exaltation. The residents of Bhubaneswar put their best feet forward as gracious hosts. Every individual contributed his bit to make the games a grand success. Individual productivity during the games must have increased by 30 to 50 per cent across sections,” he said.

Both Prof Mishra and Prof Swain agreed that the World Cup will leave a lasting legacy for Bhubaneswar not only in terms of sporting success but more importantly in people’s participation, ushering in behavioural change in civic conduct and reinforcing responsible citizenry.

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