Rupee value of happiness

It may be a coincidence that the post in Ms Indrani’s blog and an article in The New York Times dealt with the same theme - relationship between money and happiness - although the approach of both writers was different. Ms Indrani’s post is based on a statement made by Mr Andy Goh , Singapore’s happiest person , who says , that for achieving the status of happiness “ we need to train our mind a bit”. Mr David Leonhardt's NYT piece is based on two studies, done over a span of 34 years between them.
The study by Pennsylvania University economist, Richard Easterlin , which gained the status of a theory known as Easterlin Paradox, was published in 1974, in which he argued that the economic growth did not necessarily lead to greater satisfaction. This study as such was made on the opinion sought from Japanese, who in the aftermath of Second World War witnessed one of the greatest booms the world had even known. In the decades , from 1950 to 1970, the per capita output grew more than seven fold. Japan re-invented itself, from a war-torn country into one of the richest nations on earth. Yet, the economist argued the Japanese citizens did not seem to become any more satisfied with their lives.
In April this year , two young economists attached to Brookings Institution in Washington, rebutted the argument of Easterlin. They averred that money indeed tends to bring happiness, even if it does not guarantee it.. Citing the findings of the Gallop poll around the world they come to conclusion that life satisfaction is the highest in the richest country. Writer David Leonhardt held that the fact remains that economic growth does not just make countries richer in superficially materialistic ways . Having gone through the post of Ms Indrani and the NYT article , I am inclined to feel that the Westerners have a penchent for surveys and gallop poll, and consider these findings as the belief and conviction of the people at large.
The saints and seers of India had dealt with these questions centuries ago. Saint Composer Thyagaraja asks Nidhi Chala Sukamo, Devuni Sannidhi Chala Sukumo (Does wealth give one happiness and satisfaction or being in your presence gives happiness). The sense of hapiness was based on spiritual well being.
I remember what my friend and leading Mysore hotelier, Mr P V .Giri, once said observing the way in which construction workers lived and worked. In a moving lorry laden with “jalli” (gravel), Mr Giri observed, a coolie could have sound sleep, unmindful of the sharp edges of the gravel. Whereas the affluent in their cosy beds in AC Rooms, had to induce sleep with pills.