Laughing and Crying

In fact, our life begins and also ends with crying. A man cries himself at his birth and when he passes away, others cry. Besides, unlike laughing, crying is universal in nature. All living beings, including human beings, do cry. Only man can laugh. Therefore, man is also called ‘A laughing animal’. Other creatures simply cry.

Obviously, proverbs and phrases on crying are far more in number than those on laughing. In Konkani language the word ‘radap’ is used for crying. The proverb in Konkani “Nalkarui radta ani telkarui radta” (Both the seller of coconuts and the seller of coconut oil do cry) means that no one is contended in this world. And when a Goan says that “Crows are crying in my stomach”, it means that he is very hungry.

Medical science approves the importance of crying. A child’s not crying at birth makes us anxious. There is one incidence in the film “3 Idiots”. In very hostile circumstances some college students led by the hero of the movie helps a pregnant woman in delivery. But the newborn does not cry. And the students again try their level best to make it cry. At last the child cries aloud. This makes all the students overjoyed and they dance while singing the song “All is well”. It is said that lungs get expanded on crying and the body gets oxygen.

Some believe that weeping brings peace to the soul of the departed person. In some parts of northern India women of lower castes are hired as professional mourners upon the death of upper caste males. These women are referred to as ‘Rudalees’ meaning weeping women. 

Crying is the only expression of a child before it learns talking. Only the elders have to find out the exact reason of its crying.

Like laughter, crying is also a ‘contagious disease’. One person laughs because others laugh. Similarly, many a times a person weeping seeing others weep. This we notice at someone’s death or at farewell parties. One of my relatives, who is a woman weeps religiously during the parting ceremony of the bride in any marriage!

Normally, weeping is considered as a women’s monopoly. Men, generally, do not weep. In our ‘Puranas’ we come across Sita, Savitri, Dropadi, Devki, Manadodari, Kunti, Parvati who have wept at sometime or the other. But we do not see Ram, Krishna, Ravan, Duryodhan, Arjun, Karan weeping at any time. There are exceptions, of course. King Dasharatha cried aloud when he mistakenly killed young Shravana.