Amidst the chaos that is contemporary living, uncovering pockets of joy becomes a potent catalyst for elevating both happiness and well-being. Micro-acts of joy, small yet impactful gestures, have the potential to transform our daily experiences. This article explores the fascinating connection between these micro-acts and the enhancement of overall well-being. How Happiness Affects Health Happiness is not just a fleeting emotion; it serves as a cornerstone for overall well-being, profoundly impacting both mental and physical health. The link between happiness and health is a subject of extensive research, revealing a symbiotic relationship that goes beyond mere positivity. From a psychological standpoint, a happy and content mind contributes to reduced stress levels. The release of endorphins, often termed 'feel-good' hormones, acts as a natural stress reliever,    promoting a sense of calm and tranquility. This emotional equilibrium, in turn, fosters resilience in facing life's challenges.  Read more: How to raise happy, confident, strong girls On a physiological level, the benefits are equally significant. Studies show that individuals with a positive outlook tend to have lower blood pressure, reducing the risk of cardiovascular issues. The immune system also receives a boost, making the body more resilient to illnesses. Furthermore, the connection between happiness and longevity is a compelling aspect. Studies indicate that those with an optimistic outlook on life are likely to enjoy a longer lifespan. It emphasizes the vital role of emotional well-being in determining one's overall health and lifespan. In essence, happiness becomes a powerful elixir for a healthy life, influencing the mind and body in intricate ways. Cultivating joy not only adds vibrancy to our existence but also acts as a fundamental building block for a resilient and thriving state of health. Read more: Happiness Hormone: Ways to Boost Dopamine

One of the most awaited youth events, Joy Bangla Concert, is back this year – following a two-year gap due to the coronavirus pandemic – and this year, music loving youngsters are in for a bigger and better return. The announcement of the return of the musical extravaganza, on the Facebook page of Young Bangla, has already created a hype on social media with netizens sharing their memorable moments from previous instalments of the concert. Many also welcomed the organizers’ move to bring back this fusion of music and history.   Already deemed as the biggest concert for youths and attended by the Prime Minister in the last instalment in 2020, the event was held every year between 2015 and 2020 – to highlight the historic March 7 speech of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman that set the tone for the country’s independence through the Liberation War. However, considering the Holy Shab-e-Barat, this year the concert will be held on March 8 at its regular venue – Army Stadium – with registration for free tickets to be opened soon, according to organizers. Read more:Top 10 Upcoming South Indian Movies in March 2023 Keeping up with the previous years’ unique trend, the concert this year is set to feature iconic and emerging bands of the country such as Artcell, Avoid Rafa, Lalon, Chirkutt, Cryptic Fate, Karnival, Meghdol, Nemesis and Arekta Rock Band. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana appeared at the concert in 2020 while Center for Research and Information (CRI) trustee Radwan Mujib Siddiq attended the entire concert. The concert, making its debut in 2015, has become a part of the country’s pop culture and a household name in the live music industry – stitching the wartime patriotic melodies of Bangladesh with the rock genre. In 2020, hundreds of thousands of youths at the concert were astounded when a holographic image of Bangabandhu appeared on stage with the same towering figure, baritone voice, and that famous index finger that shook the repressive Pakistan regime half a century ago.

2022 was a year of setting a set of milestones for the country, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ICT Advisor Sajeeb Wazed Joy said Saturday while wishing everyone a happy new year. In a video, posted on his verified Facebook page, Joy also placed a resolve to make "2023 full of new accomplishments under the leadership" of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The video incorporated a list of the biggest achievements of Bangladesh, including the Padma Bridge, metro rail service, and new power plants. Also, it showed the inauguration of 100 bridges recently and roads stretching over 2000km opened to traffic. Amid global headwinds throughout 2022, Bangladesh saw some of its "remarkable" infrastructure undertaking becoming operational. Read more: Joy greets new era of Metrorail    

Criticizing BNP for preferring the road in front of the party’s Naya Paltan office as the venue for their December 10 rally, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy said that the occupied road would cause an endless tailback and immense sufferings to city dwellers. In a post from his verified Facebook account, he came down hard on the opposition party for rejecting Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s request to organize the rally on Suhrawardy Udyan ground. Questioning their intent, he remarked that the purpose of this move is to “exaggerate the number of people” that the road can accommodate. Read more: Mirza Abbas had terror links under BNP regime, says Sajeeb Wazed Joy "BNP also plans to perpetuate their gathering by refusing to leave the spot once they have been allowed to hold the event there. They want to repeat violent arson attacks that they did in 2014-15," Sajeeb Wazed added. "On the other hand, police offered them the sprawling Suhrawardy Udyan ground, the perfect venue for holding such huge rallies. AL regularly holds such rallies there. At the same time, people in the city would be relieved of an enormous traffic jam," he further said. Read more: BNP-Jamaat fielded '300 cadres' as local government election officers ahead of 2007 polls: Joy Sajeeb Wazed also cautioned people against what he called the “sick politics of the unpopular party BNP” and the “evil motive of heightening people’s distress.”

Prime Minister's ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has said before the grenade attack on August 21 in 2004, BNP leader Tarique Rahman had a meeting with planners and enforcers of the blast at Hawa Bhaban. On August 14, 2004, Tarique Rahman had a meeting with then BNP government's state minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar, and Harkat-ul-Jihad leaders Mufti Hannan and Maulana Tajuddin at Hawa Bhaban, Joy wrote in his verified Facebook account Tuesday. Noor Chowdhury, self-confessed and convicted killer of Bangabandhu, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, former secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami, Abul Harris Chowdhury, political secretary of then prime minister Khaleda Zia, Abdus Salam Pintu, deputy minister of the BNP-Jamaat government, also joined the meeting, he added. Read: Joy now a voice of youth in Bangladesh's policy reform circles: CRI On August 16, the second meeting was held at the residence of Babar in the capital's Minto Road where the entire plan was chalked out and the decision was finalised, Joy wrote. On August 21, Harkat-ul-Jihad blasted grenades at an antiterrorism rally headed by then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina in front of Awami League's central office at Bangabandhu Avenue, he continued. The grenade blasts killed 26 leaders and activists of the Awami League. Later, Tarique and Duke, with the aid of state agencies, sent the mastermind of the attack, Tajuddin, to Pakistan, Joy said.

A photo with smiling faces of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and Saima Wazed Putul taken on the Padma Bridge went viral on social media on Monday. “Bangabandhu family on the Padma Bridge,” Mamun Al Mahtab mentioned while sharing the photo from his verified Facebook account. PM's daughter Putul took the selfie.  “What better picture than this! Sajeeb Wazed Joy with his mother Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and sister Saima Wazed Putul on the dream Padma Bridge,” wrote a Facebook user. Silvia Parven Lenny while sharing the photo from her Facebook account wrote, “What a beautiful photo?” Also read: PM Hasina's first trip to Tungipara by Padma Bridge, pays homage to Bangabandhu Sharing the photo, Adnan Sharif wrote, “Right now, the most loveable picture of Bangladesh.” “The image of a happy and prosperous Bangladesh. May the future of Bangladesh be filled with the illusion of this happiness,” one of the Facebook users wrote while sharing the photo. Joy, also Prime Minister’s ICT Affairs Adviser, shared the photo from his verified Facebook account writing “Padma Bridge.”  Defeating all conspiracies, the Padma Bridge has become a reality today, which is a symbol of Bangladesh’s ability, writes  ALBD web team coordinator Tonmoy Ahmed. He mentioned that this Padma Bridge is a blessing for the people of the whole country. “This beautiful picture was taken by Saima Wazed Putul in the form of a selfie.” He, earlier, said Padma Bridge is a symbol of pride and dignity of Bangladesh. "Padma Bridge is not just an engineering masterpiece but a symbol of pride and dignity of Bangladesh as well. All the people of this country equally share this glory," he said recently. Bangladesh witnessed a historic moment on June 25 with the inauguration of Padma Bridge demonstrating to the world what this country can do on its own, proving the skeptics wrong amid the World Bank’s scrapping of committed loans. PM Hasina, who took up the challenge to go ahead with self-financing the bridge of national pride, formally opened the bridge, a milestone on the connectivity front, nationally and regionally. Hasina on Monday reached her ancestral home at Tungipara in Gopalganj on her first visit by the Padma Bridge she inaugurated last month. On arrival she, along with her son and daughter, offered prayer at the mazar of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Also read: PM calls Padma Bridge a milestone to change the fate of people: PM Accompanied by her son Sajeed Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed, the premier offered fateha and raised hands in prayer seeking eternal peace of departed souls of  Bangabandhu and other martyrs of August 15, 1975 massacre. Prayers were also offered seeking divine blessings for good health and long life of Sheikh Hasina and their family members as well as continued peace, progress and prosperity of the country.

Prime Minister’s ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has said Padma Bridge is a symbol of pride and dignity of Bangladesh. "Padma Bridge is not just an engineering masterpiece but a symbol of pride and dignity of Bangladesh as well. All the people of this country equally share this glory," he said Friday night sharing a video from his verified Facebook account.  Joy said the future of Bangladesh hinges much on this bridge. This bridge has connected around one-third of Bangladesh's land area, entangled with rivers, to the capital, he said.  Consequently, Joy said, it will catalyze the local and international trades of Bangladesh.  In addition to transforming the economic footing of around 50 million people of the South-west part of the country, Joy said, it will also ensure a rise in the national income, meaning GDP, by at least 1.5%, a paradigm shift for the entire Bangladesh.  "Padma Bridge with my money, Padma Bridge for Bangladesh," he added.  Also read: PM Hasina model helps Bangladesh escape poverty: Joy

Noting that the empowerment of women is crucial to Bangladesh's emergence as a vibrant and modern nation, Prime Minister's ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has illustrated a set of initiatives undertaken by her mother to help Bangladesh break the poverty cycle and appear as a rising star in South Asia. In an opinion piece that appeared on foreignnews.org, he revealed the amazing track record of Bangladesh under PM Hasina when it comes to turning around millions of lives as poor people got caught in a self-perpetuating cycle for a long part of the country's history, thanks to a unique model demonstrated by Sheikh Hasina. "Between 2009 and 2020, Bangladesh's gross domestic product (GDP) per capita rose from $710 to $2,064. HSBC Bank recently predicted that Bangladesh would be the 26th-largest economy in the world by 2030 due in large part to its sustained GDP growth of roughly 6 percent during the last 20 years" Moreover, in reference to Bangladesh's earlier introduction to the world as a country with limited resources, Joy asserted that time has changed and so did the fate of the people of this country, thanks to the prudent model shown by Sheikh Hasina. "According to the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Index 2021, Bangladesh has made major progress in narrowing gender disparities. While much work remains to be done, Bangladeshi women enjoy greater economic opportunities than ever," he said. "Bangladesh continues to grow both economically and socially in large part because of its commitment to improving the status of women." The country's poverty rate dropped from 47.5 percent in 1996 to 20.5 percent in 2020. Bangladesh's rate of extreme poverty, defined as living on less than $1.90 per person per day, decreased from 19.3 percent in 2009 to 10.5 percent in 2020. The World Bank recently praised Bangladesh's "remarkable progress in economic development," and described it as a "model for poverty reduction." Pointing to the Ashrayan Project, an initiative undertaken by PM Hasina to provide homes for the homeless, Joy pointed out that this step has been paying dividends through "connecting disparate rural regions, many of which are flourishing."  

Prime Minister’s ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has said Padma Bridge is not just an engineering masterpiece but a symbol of pride and dignity of Bangladesh as well. "All the people of this country equally share this glory. The future of Bangladesh hinges much on this bridge," he wrote while sharing a video from his verified Facebook account on the mega project. Monsoon is around and the river Padma will be bulging soon, the most treacherous one only after the Amazon. Since independence, people of the entire southern region have been required to risk life for crossing the river throughout the year. Read: Padma Bridge gets final touches before the June 25 grand opening "But that risky journey seems to end on June 26 as the Awami League government has bridged your dream with reality, building a bridge to make your journey safer, easier, faster and hassle-free," Joy said. Padma Bridge stands majestically above the river marked with one of the strongest currents in the world. Braving a spectrum of challenges, we have finally executed this self-funded project, he said. "It's your and my hard-earned money that contributed to this success. Padma Bridge with my money, Padma Bridge for my country," he said. It was beyond the imagination of the world that a developing country in South Asia could handle this masterpiece structure with its own fund, Joy said. But, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's indomitable courage and vision made this happen, he added. "Now this success story of Bangladesh is acclaimed all across the planet. Padma Bridge, awaiting an awe-inspiring inauguration on June 25, symbolizes the dignity of Bangladesh on the global stage," Joy mentioned in his Facebook post. Read: Padma Bridge lights up the night ahead of opening This bridge has connected around one-third of the country's land area, entangled with rivers, to the capital. Consequently, it will catalyze the local and international trades of Bangladesh. "In addition to transforming the economic footing of around 50 million people of the South-west part of the country, it will also ensure a rise in the national income by at least 1.5%, a paradigm shift for the entire Bangladesh," Joy said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the Padma Bridge on June 25 while it will remain open for vehicular movement from June 26.    

Commemorating the historic 1971-Concert for Bangladesh, the ICT Ministry organized, at the same Madison Square Garden, another concert, evoking the precedence of 'melody for humanity' set by the world's all-time best musicians, said Prime Minister's ICT Advisor Sajeeb Wazed Joy. Sharing the vibe of the concert, Joy, who was singing and cheering as part of the crowd, wrote from his verified Facebook account, "This weekend I relived that moment as we paid tribute to that melody-for-humanity event through another concert on the Golden Jubilee of Bangladesh". Read: Dhaka, Seoul to work together for their prosperity Reminiscing the unforgettable lyric by George Harrison on war-torn Bangladesh, 'My friend came to me/ With sadness in his eyes/ He told me that he wanted help/ Before his country dies', he wrote, "Beatles' star George Harrison didn't just write and compose the song but also went on to think about doing something that might help the people of Bangladesh, a victim of one of history's worst genocides. He reached out to maestros like Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton, who also agreed to drum up support for the cause. Rest is history. Concert for Bangladesh set the precedence of helping a victim-of-war nation through a concert." "Whenever I watch it on YouTube, it takes me back to a golden moment - George Harrison singing the song Bangladesh, Bob Dylan rendering 'How many roads a man must walk down', and Pundit Ravi Shankar playing his fingers on his sitar like a storm. They are sharing the same stage!" he added. "The dream for Bangladesh, as the world's all-time greatest rock stars and musical masters had seen, came true as the war-torn country back in 1971 is now an epitome of sustained progress and development. From the engineering masterpiece Padma Bridge to the technological feat Bangabandhu Satellite, Bangladesh has made inspiring history. Still, no success story goes unchallenged by a few people with wrong intentions," he mentioned. Calling upon the country’s people to stand vigilant against the peddlers of religion and supporters of war criminals, he said, "We must be careful so that the ghosts of war criminals cannot bring the dark chapters back." Read: Current geopolitical situation creating more opportunities for closer Dhaka-Seoul ties: Envoy Joy said they must show zero tolerance to the peddlers of religion. "We must stand united on our promise for Golden Bengal on this Golden Jubilee. Let's sing Harrison's Bangladesh together once more and let the world hear it. This time the promise on this Golden Jubilee is to build Golden Bangla, the dream of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman." Scorpions rocked the stage on Sunday while Bangladeshi band Chirkutt appeared there as a guest performer.