01.11.2024 - By BBC World Service
On the 11 January 1998 in Mumbai, India, the first World Laughter Day took place. It was the idea of Dr Madan Kataria, a medical doctor who wanted to test the theory that laughter is the best medicine. He tells Gill Kearsley how this unusual event started. (Photo: World Laughter Day in Mumbai in 2016. Credit: Arijit Sen/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)