Media Release

Mangaluru, Mar 5: The residents of Mangalore Cheshire Home (MCH) were initiated into a laughter session by Bondel Laughter Club (BLC) on March 4 at its home on Suvarna Road, near Fr Muller Hospital.

A team led by John Monteiro, founder and lead anchor of BLC, started in 2002, led the residents through various steps of the laughter club session with its three components - physical exercises, ten types of laughter and some self-esteem declarations.

Welcoming the BLC team, which included Prof MA Khalil and Venkappa M, chairperson of MCH, Wilma Aranha, said laughter sessions, duly integrated with the presently conducted yoga and physical exercises, would give the residents a welcome laughter component.

John Monteiro offered back-up literature which lists various components of a laughter session lasting 20 minutes. He said that MCH would be treated as a free franchisee of BLC and would be offered sustained support to nurture the laughter venture. He noted that BLC had recently launched a weekly laughter club for senior citizens of Milagres parish and is open to extending such support to any group of ten or more seriously committed persons to have their own local laughter clubs (contact: 98862 76608).

The Mangaluru chapter of the Cheshire Home began with the inauguration of a twelve-bed cottage on August 7, 1965, initiated by service-minded citizens of Mangaluru inspired by Lord Cheshire, the founder of the movement to set up a home for the rehabilitation of twelve Hansen-affected women abandoned by their families and society.