Why we work in public, and why that isn’t the same as going viral
June 12, 2026
We use the word “public” often. This is a note on what we mean by it, and what we do not mean. Two versions of “public” circulate in the
Understanding happiness through real lives and real problems.
The Happiness Project exists to understand what stops people from being happy and to work on the things we can do something about.
We look closely at the problems people experience in their everyday lives, listen to the people living through them, and try to understand what is really getting in the way. From there, we explore and test ways to make things better.
We don’t claim to have all the answers. We learn by understanding the problem, trying what we can, and seeing what actually helps.
"What makes us different is that we do the work in public, sharing the journey from understanding the problem to trying a solution, including what works, what doesn’t, and what we learn along the way. "
About Us
The Happiness Project is a Kerala-based social research and action lab. We work on the specific conditions that make good lives harder to reach for communities kept outside the line of sight of state, market, and civil society. One or two interventions at a time, with named partners, documented in public, evaluated honestly. Founded by Dr Ananthu S.
The Way We Work
01. Diagnosis
Understand what gets in the way.
Before trying to fix a problem, we spend time understanding it. We look at the things that can quietly affect a person’s happiness, the people and work that often go unseen, and what happens to people after the spotlight moves on.
02. Demonstration
Try something that might help.
Once we understand a problem, we look for something we can actually do about it. We explore alternative ways of living and working, and when there is something worth trying, we build a small intervention and see what happens.
Recent thinking
Stories, ideas and things we’re learning along the way.
We write about what we see, what we are trying to understand, and what happens when we try something new. These are not polished success stories, but a record of the work as it unfolds.
A week with the Musahar community
July 30, 2026
We spent a week in Bihar, visiting Musahar tolas across three districts: Patna, Bhojpur, and Gaya. The Musahar are one of India’s most marginalised communities, classified as Mahadalits. We
What community-sourced modelling actually asks for
August 27, 2026
On 14 August 2026, we spent a day in Ezhikkara Grama Panchayat with EQUINOCT, NPOC and the Lanka community. This is a note about what we saw. It is
Why we work in public, and why that isn’t the same as going viral
June 12, 2026
We use the word “public” often. This is a note on what we mean by it, and what we do not mean. Two versions of “public” circulate in the
A week with the Musahar community
July 30, 2026
We spent a week in Bihar, visiting Musahar tolas across three districts: Patna, Bhojpur, and Gaya. The Musahar are one of India’s most marginalised communities, classified as Mahadalits. We
What community-sourced modelling actually asks for
August 27, 2026
On 14 August 2026, we spent a day in Ezhikkara Grama Panchayat with EQUINOCT, NPOC and the Lanka community. This is a note about what we saw. It is
Current work
Work that starts with understanding.
Active · since 2026
Resilient Lanka
Lanka is a small island settlement (thuruth) in Ward 13 of Ezhikkara Grama Panchayat, Kerala. Twenty-three families live here. Over the last decade, tidal flooding, saline intrusion, drainage failure, and drinking water contamination have made daily life increasingly hard.
We keep the work small so we can stay close to it, understand what happens, and learn as we go. see all projects.
Where things stand
We’re still early in the work. There’s a lot we’re still trying to understand and the project is growing one step at a time.
Active intervention - Resilient Lanka
0
Spent till date
0
Cr+
Year the first intervention began
1900
Get in touch
Have a question, want to know more about our work, or want to talk to us?
We’d be happy to hear from you.
© 2026 Happiness Project. Kerala, India.
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