Viral hit song 'Pasoori' is so good it's helping heal conflicts between India and Pakistan

[Viral hit song 'Pasoori' is so good it's helping heal conflicts between India and Pakistan]( Art can be a powerful unifier. With just the right lyric, image or word, great art can soften those hard lines that divide us, helping us to remember the immense value of human connection and compassion. This is certainly the case with “Pasoori,” a Pakistani pop song that has not only become an international hit, it’s managed to bring the long divided peoples of India and Pakistan together in the name of love. Or at least in the name of good music. It’s easy to see how “Pasoori” has gained its popularity. The visuals are rich and colorful and very eye-popping—the very essence of old-school Bollywood. Plus the song itself is quite the catchy, dynamic earworm with its blend of traditional music and driving, percussive reggaeton beat. That’s a lot of boxes to tick, stylistically speaking. The song begins with the words “set fire to your worries.” It’s a verse that came to songwriter Ali Sethi after seeing a similar phrase painted across the back of a truck while driving through Punjab. That expression, coupled with the fear that entering India as a Pakistani artist might result in extremists burning down whatever studio he worked in, inspired him to channel the experience into his music, he told The New Yorker. “I did what desi bards have done for ages. I might not have been able to travel to India, but I knew my music could,” he said. [Read the Story]( [10 things that made us smile this week]( I'm not quite sure how it happened, but his week's list is somewhat dog-heavy. It's a bit odd, because I'm really more of a cat person. I've had more than a dozen cats in my lifetime and not a single dog. I do love other people's dogs, though, and there's no shortage of awesome stories about dogs that occasionally make me question my loyalty to cats. Animals in general are joy-bringers, though. Along with the dogs, we've got bears and an otter this week that I think will bring a smile to even the most hardened of hearts. And there are awesome humans, too. Sometimes it's easy to become dismayed with our fellow humans, especially when most of what we see are headlines about bad behavior. It's good to be reminded that there are so many people doing so many great things in the world. If you need a boost of faith in humanity or just a little mood boost with some endorphin-pushing animal videos, we've got you covered. Here are 10 things that made us smile this week. [Read the Story]( [Free hotline offers seniors a virtual session with their very own ‘therapy cat’]( Know someone who’s over 60 and feeling lonely? Help is just a phone call away. Purina Cat Chow has partnered with two non-profits in order to bring senior citizens some much-needed virtual therapy cat visits. Wait…that’s a thing? When we think of the term “therapy animal,” most of us are probably inclined to picture a dog. After all, canines dominate the therapy animal field at 94%. Felines, on the other hand, make up part of the other 6% (that’s combined with other animals). Anyone who has experienced that special, soul-soothing bliss that comes from stroking a purring kitty in their lap will tell you: those numbers might be off. Although therapy cats make up a smaller percentage of this segment, cats offer a wide array of positive benefits that make them wonderful therapy animals. Just ask Roger and Sal – a couple of registered therapy cats – along with their handler Tracy Howell. Since 2016, Tracy and Roger have been working with Pet Partners®, a non-profit that matches volunteer therapy animals of all kinds with people in need of a furry friend visit, including nursing facilities, assisted living, hospice centers, and children’s hospitals. [Read the Story]( [South Koreans will soon be the same age as the rest of the world]( Can you remember how old you are? As we get older, remembering our actual age can get harder, especially when it begins to take longer and longer to scroll and find your birth year. Now imagine having to keep track of two different ages. For many South Koreans, this is the reality. That's right, based on a tradition that dates back so far no one really knows when it started, most South Koreans are two different ages. But their new president is looking to change the tradition, to make life easier for everyone. Currently, South Koreans have their "Korean age" and their international age. The "Korean age" is the thing that President Yoon Suk-yeol is looking to change. The way it works is that a person is considered a year old at birth, adding a year every January 1. So if you have a baby born on December 30, on January 1, they're 2 years old, even though they've only been alive two days. The Korean age is mostly used in social situations, while the international age (where you turn 1 on your first birthday) is used for legal purposes. “If I try to fill out a form at a government office or a foreign embassy, I’m not sure what to put for my age,” Lee Jae-hye, a video producer in Seoul, told The New York Times. [Read the Story]( [Intergenerational playgroup brings kids to nursing home to hang out with older residents]( Nursing homes and assisted living facilities are an integral part of many people’s lives. In some cultures, caring for your elderly relative within the home is expected but it’s not always feasible or even desirable for some families. Some elderly people want to maintain as much of their independence as possible and facilities can help them feel less alone and more active, especially as there are usually activities scheduled. Even with the activities and companionship of other residents, some older people can feel a bit lonely and disconnected without family nearby. That's why in Australia, an intergenerational playgroup is changing lives. Chandani Ramasundara, who immigrated from Sri Lanka to Australia 10 years ago, came up with the idea of intergenerational playgroups. Ramasundara told ABC Australia, “People over here really loved their independent living, whereas in Sri Lanka we grew up in a multigenerational family environment so I thought these intergenerational playgroups would be a great idea to ease their isolation, get together, interact together, and play together.” [Read the Story]( Find us on the World Wide Web: [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Website]( Copyright © 2022 GOOD | Upworthy, All rights reserved. 1370 N St Andrews Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90028 You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.