International Day of Happiness: Actress Shivangi Verma says happiness is a feeling, a state of mind

Actress Shivangi Verma.

The International Day of Happiness is celebrated on March 20 every year. This day is observed to promote the importance of happiness, well-being, and mental health. Speaking on the occasion, Shivangi Verma, who was last seen in Control Room, said, “I think every day should be a happiness day. Why is there one particular day to celebrate happiness. Happiness is a feeling, it’s a state of mind for me.”

Actor Shivangi Verma, who is known for such films as Pichaikkaran 2 (2023), Black Rose (2020) and Himesh Reshammiya: Terre Pyaar Mein (2021), plays the character of a forensic expert in Yash Patnaik and Mamta Patnaik's TV series Control Room. She has said earlier that she was inspired by and prepped for the role by watching Vikrant Masssey's character from Forensic.

“Everything falls into place when you keep yourself happy,” says Verma, “Small things make me happy, like going to Delhi. Delhi is my happy place. It’s my home. It gives me immense joy because my parents live there, my friends are there in Delhi, and I love spending my time with them. As a foodie, I love eating, and Delhi is the hub for chaats. I love gol gappe, aloo tikki, and all kinds of chaats. And spending time with myself makes me the happiest, so these things make me happy.”

Shivangi is a family girl, and her world revolves around her family. Sharing the occasion where she felt over the moon, she said, “When I got my first salary from my first job and I handed that first pay cheque to my parents, the smile and the feeling of pride in their eyes for me was a very happy moment for me. See your parents happy, and the feeling of pride in them is what I feel we all live for.”

In fact, her day is made if she talks to her parents. Talking about things that give her instant happiness, she said, “Talking to my parents gives me instant happiness because I think they are my problem solvers. Whenever I am in a problem or dilemma, the only people I go to are my parents, and when something extraordinary or something very nice happens at that time, I also go to them because I know they are the only ones who will be the happiest at my best, and that will give me instant happiness.”

Speaking on the work front, she doesn’t agree that her happiness is dependent on her career. She said, “I mean, it does somewhere, but not 100 per cent, because I feel if the personal aspect of your life is not going well on track, the professional aspect can never go well on track. It is very important to strike a balance between the two.”

She also stressed that it’s important to strike a balance between one’s personal and professional lives, adding, “Because if one thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong. Time management is very important, setting boundaries is very important, setting priorities in both professional and personal life is very crucial. And most important is maturity and the bandwidth to understand that one has to maintain all the above. That’s how I maintain balance between the two aspects of my life.”

A message to your fans and followers? “Always be happy, keep smiling, because life is too short to be unhappy and sad. Make it worthwhile. Kyunki ‘Life lambi and badi honi chaiye’ (because life should be big and grand),” Shivangi said.