Bengaluru Buzzes with Happpy AiR Parade Celebrating Joy and Mental Well-Being

Bengaluru recently came alive as Happpy AiR and Bengaluru Traffic Police joined forces for the Happpy AiR Parade — a vibrant public movement spreading smiles, joy and awareness about conscious happiness.

What started as a simple idea—to remind people to be happpy—soon blossomed into a joyful movement that touched thousands. As the parade wound through the city, smiles spread, laughter reverberated, and ordinary moments became unexpected bursts of joy.

The parade commenced around noon at Kemp Fort Mall on Old Airport Road, where energetic flash mobs, spirited dance performances, music, and cheerful interactions set the tone. Thousands of smiley balls, happpiness caps, happpiness bands, umbrellas, soft toys, and posters were distributed to passers-by. Shoppers paused, motorists slowed down, and commuters smiled back — some even joined in, embracing a rare moment of lightness amid the rush of daily life.

Nearly 100 enthusiastic volunteers, along with Bengaluru-based influencers, participated wholeheartedly, adding warmth and momentum to the initiative. Their collective energy helped carry the message of happpiness far beyond the streets the parade travelled.

From Old Airport Road, the Happpy AiR Parade moved through some of Bengaluru’s busiest and most iconic areas — Indiranagar, Koramangala, Brigade Road, Commercial Street, and MG Road. At every stop, the message remained simple and relatable: happpiness is a choice, and joy is truly contagious.

A mixed bag of films at the Bengaluru International Film Festival 2025

The parade reflected this philosophy in action. Happpy AiR — an awakened Soul, Global Happpiness Ambassador, author, and philanthropist — encouraged people to choose to be happpy, make the best of every moment, and live each day as a new life. Sharing his thoughts with gentle humour, he said, “If we choose to be sad when we can be glad, aren’t we mad?”

Incidentally, Happpy AiR spells happpiness with three ‘p’s, as he believes true happpiness is a combination of pleasure, peace, and purpose — the three keys to a fulfilled life.

The Bengaluru Traffic Police played an active role throughout the event, ensuring smooth movement and safety across all locations through careful planning, clear routes, and seamless coordination.

What made the initiative especially meaningful was its presence in everyday public spaces — markets and busy roads where stress and impatience often dominate. The flash mobs became joyful interruptions, inviting people to pause, smile, and reflect, even if only for a moment.

By early evening, the parade drew to a close, leaving behind more than memories of dance and celebration. It left a quiet inspiration — a reminder to make conscious choices to be happpy.

In a city known for its pace and pressure, the Happpy AiR Parade gently reinforced a powerful truth: happpiness need not be complicated. It doesn’t require grand gestures or extraordinary efforts. Sometimes, it simply begins with a smile — and the realization that joy is always within reach.

How AI will transform education, Coursera founder shares insights at Moneycontrol Startup Conclave

Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera, a U.S.-based massive open online course provider, shared his views at the Moneycontrol Startup Conclave, on the topic of ‘Navigating edtech in the AI era held in Bengaluru on 10th of July..

On being told by his engineers, “Hey Jeff, this stuff is getting pretty powerful”, Jeff said how he then had to get his hands onto ChatGPT by early December of 2022. Since then, Coursera has moved pretty aggressively to integrate a ChatGPT implementation of a personalized learning assistant called Coursera Coach. It works on 5000 courses...

On being asked whether he thinks AI will save or destroy education, he said, “I think education has to adapt. Every time the world is changing, everything has to adapt. Relationships, institutions, everything. We’re all going to have to change the way we use tools, and even the way we use technology as a thought partner.”

“We’re using a large language model, we are not actually doing a lot of fine tuning right now, and we are constructing prompts that have the kind of context that a tutor would need to give you personalized prompts. So, it allows the language models to be really good at language, but the domain expertise comes from the university and the professor. We are rolling it out and, a little over 25% of our learners have access to Coursera Coach.”

On the impact of generative AI on kids’ learning abilities, Maggioncalda said, “The capability of this technology is quite remarkable, and I was worried that it was giving me too good of an answer. So, we are all figuring out how you can support a learner without letting them cheat. Cheating is a very big threat to the way people learn. So, we want to lend assistance, not give them the whole answer. The student still has to do all the work.”

“The pandemic was a major accelerator in the adoption of technology for teaching and learning. But even now as people go back to school, we are seeing really strong adoption of online learning in physical classrooms. I think we will never go back to a world of printed textbooks, with every student and every teacher in the same class. So, I think it’s going to be a hybrid world. Even students on campus are taking courses on Coursera, and our courses becoming a part of the curriculum. So, it is a hybrid world, and we all need to be pretty agile, because the world is changing pretty quickly,” he added.