Raisa Maximovna Gorbachev Hospital, St. Petersburg, Russia, January 2012
Sri Chinmoy’s humanitarian service team has had the honor of serving President and Mrs. Gorbachev since 1991. For many years our main focus was to send chemotherapy and medical technology to Russian hospitals to assist in the treatment of children with leukemia.
In January 2012, in honor of Raisa Maximovna’s birthday, we offered a different kind of therapy – humor and laughter – through and performance of clowns at the Raisa Maximovna Gorbachev Hospital in St. Petersburg. Our performances originate from the philosophy that laughter is the best medicine.
The Madal Circus Clowns are dedicated to promoting and delivering the health benefits of humor. Humor offers a way for children to allay their fears and to cope with the intrusive atmosphere of a hospital.
The Madal Circus Clowns, as well as two doctors who participated, are all members the Sri Chinmoy Centres International. Dr. Edmund Blab, a pediatric surgeon from Vienna who led our team, said, “The sick children could laugh, express themselves, participate. It was really a great service.” He came from Austria for the occasion and met with the deputy director of the Raisa Maximovna Gorbachev Hospital to share treatment methods. The clowns, from Serbia, Canada the Czech Republic and Russia, delighted the children with juggling, magic acts, puppets, dancing and singing as well as creating balloon hats for each child. The children participated in the performances, which was a most delightful sight. Parents also laughed and assisted in the performances, relieving stress and bringing joy to all.