Crying clubs show laughter isn’t always the best medicine – feeling sad for a while can be just as good for you as feeling happy

At India’s first ‘healthy crying club’, members share deeply personal stories to trigger tears and the release of feel-good chemicals in the body

Crying clubs originated in Japan after an entrepreneur noticed how emotional typically repressed Japanese people became in divorce ceremonies

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At India’s first “healthy crying club” in Surat, India, audience members share personal stories from their lives and cry it all out. Photo: courtesy of Kamlesh Masalawala

Published: 6:45pm, 19 Aug 2020Updated: 7:10pm, 19 Aug 2020

It begins as a sniffle. Soon, people reach for their handkerchiefs. Some sit silently, tears flowing down their cheeks. Others are openly weeping, until the room is filled with the sound of sobbing.

It’s just another Sunday morning in the city of Surat in Western India. Gathered in the large hall are people of all ages, from all walks of life, to attend the monthly meeting of India’s one-of-a-kind “healthy crying club”, which was started here in 2017.

Founder Kamlesh Masalawala had first hit on the value of tears of joy when he was recognised as India’s first laughter therapist. Years later, he found his alternate vocation as a crying therapist.

“Joy and sorrow are two sides of the same coin,” Masalawala, a former radio repairman, says. “Every human being has to laugh and cry, to express his emotions. Crying therapy was suggested to me by one of the top psychologists in the city. I did some research which showed that crying can even reduce the medication for patients with psychological issues, and decided to start my crying club.”

Kamlesh Masalawala tears up at his crying club in Surart, India. Photo: courtesy of Kamlesh Masalawala

At his first tearful session in Surat in June 2017, Masalawala shared a personal story from his life. He recalled his boyhood when he was too poor to afford 200 rupees (US$2.70) for a school trip, and his mother secretly sold her gold earrings to pay for it. While telling this tale, he choked up with emotion, and saw many in the audience start to tear up as well.