Clowning around to bring laughter, love to the needy

Humanitarian Clowns is an organisation in Tamil Nadu, devoted to cheering up the ill and disadvantaged. Members wear masks and visit hospitals, schools, NGOs and old age homes, spreading much needed laughter in places where depression lurks. 

“We know that clowning cannot cure diseases, but at least it can ease the pain for a while and give people some hope,” says Naveen Loganathan, a senior volunteer with Humanitarian Clowns. A group that supports local non-government organisations (NGOs) around the world with its projects, their programme involves interacting with patients, especially children in hospitals and alleviating their pain and suffering through humour therapy. 

The organisation was formed in early 2012 when Tim Webster from Australia took up clowning after seeing clown doctor Patch Adams (a medical doctor acting as a clown to entertain patients) use laughter therapy to ease the pain not only of patients in hospitals, but others too. 

Webster, a cancer survivor himself, then came to India in November 2012, gathered a few volunteers from Chennai, and Vellore, where he visited a leprosy home, and this led him to start the India chapter of the organisation. 

“When we met them first, the kids at the leprosy home looked so dejected. Abandoned by their own parents, they had almost forgotten how to laugh and what it meant to be loved. But once we pulled out our hats, put on little red noses and colourful wigs and started clowning around, their sombre faces lit up and they laughed so uninhibitedly. Albeit momentarily, they forgot their pain and illness, and that’s when we realised what a big difference a mask, a red nose and a lot of love could make. Humour has power,” explains Naveen. 

The team that started out with 20 volunteers, now has about 350, many of whom juggle between daily jobs and clowning for community development. Managed by Giridharan, Humanitarian Clowns India makes weekly visits to hospitals, schools and orphanages, imparting lessons in health and sanitation via clowning. 

“Beyond using flamboyant props and slapstick — making funny faces, for example — clowning enables a person to talk about ordinary things and life-threatening situations with candour. These experiences have not only helped us absorb pain and dispense laughter, but also offered us respite from self-doubt and fear,” says Naveen, who, along with other volunteers has helped in the speedy recovery of patients. Today, there are 70 countries using clowns in hospitals to provide the much needed mental relief to patients. The India chapter of Humanitarian Clowns gets funding from Humanitarian Clowns Global to give shape to its activities. 

Humanitarian Clowns have also opened three primary schools in Javadhi Hills, Vellore, which is mostly inhabited by tribal communities. “It’s difficult to have these kids attend school because most of their parents don’t want to send them. But we’ve managed to bring about 200 kids to our schools regularly. We visit them once a month to teach them how to interact with people in different situations,” he says. The group plans to take this initiative to other cities of the country in the future. “We also plan to start a clowning institute in Vellore, where people from across the globe can come and learn clowning,” adds Naveen. 

Once a year, Tim, with a group of 25 international Humanitarian Clowns, travels to India, and with the teams here, brings priceless smiles to the faces of those in hospital, slums, refugee camps, orphanages, schools and tribal communities. “At the end of the day, you learn how a little cheer can go a long way and sometimes make the biggest difference in someone’s life. So, if you can spare some time to make the world a happier place, bring out the clown in you and join us,” concludes Naveen.