Dr. Kataria, the founder and president, more than 45 laughter clubs have been established in Mumbai and all are going strong except a few, which lacked proper leaders and motivation. According to Dr. Kataria, the membership is growing and people are deriving health benefits. To monitor the health benefits, a research panel has been setup by the parent body, Laughter Clubs International.
The idea of Laughter Clubs is Doctor. Kataria, editor of Your Own Doctor and Mera Doctor. In March 1995, when he thought of writing an article on "Laughter, the Best Medicine", he found a large amount of scientific literature on benefits of laughter on the human mind and body. But then he decided not to publish the article. Instead he went to a public Garden at Lokhandwala Complex, in Mumbai and spoke to people about starting a laughter club.
So, on March 13, 1995, he invited four people to start laughing, standing in one corner of the garden. Initially, some people scoffed at the concept and ridiculed the idea, but when the potential health benefits were explained many people got interested and attendance started growing.
