“I was at a retreat in 2016 when I met a ‘medical clown’.
I asked her, ‘What does a medical clown do?’ and she replied, ‘I visit hospitals and make patients smile!’ I was inspired!
Laughter is what the Doctors Ordered
I was working for a NGO and wanted to bring happiness to others too.
So I started reading about medical clowns. I also saw ‘Patch Adams’, a movie about a man who treated patients with humor!
So I started reading about medical clowns. I also saw ‘Patch Adams’, a movie about a man who treated patients with humor!
I wanted to give medical clowning a shot.
But it was still a new concept in Delhi.
So I sought permission from the health ministry and once I had it, I started prepping for my hospital visit. I put up a post requesting volunteers to join me and got 33 responses but on the day of the hospital visit, only 5 turned up. I was nervous… I mean, I was no artist. But when I thought about kids and their smiling faces, I knew I had to do this. So, we excitedly put on our makeup and costumes!
I recall walking into the paediatric ward, forming a train with my volunteers and singing for the children. The atmosphere changed!
But it was still a new concept in Delhi.
So I sought permission from the health ministry and once I had it, I started prepping for my hospital visit. I put up a post requesting volunteers to join me and got 33 responses but on the day of the hospital visit, only 5 turned up. I was nervous… I mean, I was no artist. But when I thought about kids and their smiling faces, I knew I had to do this. So, we excitedly put on our makeup and costumes!
I recall walking into the paediatric ward, forming a train with my volunteers and singing for the children. The atmosphere changed!
Frowns turned into smiles and cries changed to laughter. I’ll never forget getting the most hopeful smile out of a patient who hadn’t smiled all week!
Kids started eating their meals and taking their medicines in exchange for balloons!
After we finished performing, we couldn’t stop smiling. I felt truly happy and I knew at that moment that medical clowning was all I wanted to do!
From then on, my volunteers and I’d work our jobs during the week and perform across hospitals on Saturdays. While the doctors treated patients with medicines, we cured them with laughter! It was encouraging when the hospitals would call us back and say, ‘Patients feel positive around you!’
That’s when we started performing more frequently while still managing work. While I enjoyed what I did, I’d be told by relatives, ‘You studied to become a clown? What a waste!’ I dismissed them.
Soon, I started posting about our work and word of mouth got me coverage! Seeing others join me motivated me to start ‘Clownselors’; a volunteer group that performs stress management activities and spreads smiles in hospitals!
I remember once, there was a girl on a ventilator, I performed for her while she looked on. And would you believe it? She smiled and tried to get up! Her mother cried, ‘She moved for the first time in 8 days!’
Then there was a differently-abled child who raised her hand and threw a balloon back to me; her father was overjoyed!
There are so many instances where we’ve distracted children from their pain as they are getting treated.
My work fulfilled me and so, after 5 years, I quit my job and became a full-time medical clown who performs at hospitals, orphanages, old age homes and even slums.
After we finished performing, we couldn’t stop smiling. I felt truly happy and I knew at that moment that medical clowning was all I wanted to do!
From then on, my volunteers and I’d work our jobs during the week and perform across hospitals on Saturdays. While the doctors treated patients with medicines, we cured them with laughter! It was encouraging when the hospitals would call us back and say, ‘Patients feel positive around you!’
That’s when we started performing more frequently while still managing work. While I enjoyed what I did, I’d be told by relatives, ‘You studied to become a clown? What a waste!’ I dismissed them.
Soon, I started posting about our work and word of mouth got me coverage! Seeing others join me motivated me to start ‘Clownselors’; a volunteer group that performs stress management activities and spreads smiles in hospitals!
I remember once, there was a girl on a ventilator, I performed for her while she looked on. And would you believe it? She smiled and tried to get up! Her mother cried, ‘She moved for the first time in 8 days!’
Then there was a differently-abled child who raised her hand and threw a balloon back to me; her father was overjoyed!
There are so many instances where we’ve distracted children from their pain as they are getting treated.
My work fulfilled me and so, after 5 years, I quit my job and became a full-time medical clown who performs at hospitals, orphanages, old age homes and even slums.
My parents proudly say,
‘Our daughter saves lives.’
Everyday, I tell my volunteers what Patch Adams taught me, ‘When you treat a disease, you might win, you might lose, But when you treat a person, you’ll win, no matter what the outcome!”
Everyday, I tell my volunteers what Patch Adams taught me, ‘When you treat a disease, you might win, you might lose, But when you treat a person, you’ll win, no matter what the outcome!”
