I remember thinking, when I was in my early 30s, that this is the best age to be, and I still believe your 30s are a wonderful time. But I think I am pretty happy now.
When were you happiest?
Question
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Death & what remains
Question
How close have you come to death?
Death & what remains
Question
What keeps you awake at night?
Daily life
Question
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Daily life
Question
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Identity & self
Question
Aside from a property, what is the most expensive thing you have bought?
Money & investment
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
Asked in 52 of the 131 consecutive instalments of The Guardian's The Q&A harvested on 2026-08-29.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
I am happiest when I am working.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 27 February 2021 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 577 →
Björk Guðmundsdóttir
Icelandic singer
Merging with nature or merging with people.
Siri Hustvedt
American novelist, essayist, poet
I have a penchant for happiness. I have experienced euphoria before a migraine, which may not count, but I have also felt immense happiness leaning back in a chair in sunlight, puttering in my garden, reading, dancing, immediately after giving birth and when writing.
Joss Whedon
American director, screenwriter, and producer
Filming Much Ado About Nothing. In my home, with my family and my besties and the bard all around. Pure joy.
More from Madhur Jaffrey
View profile →None: I do not want a funeral.
It’s nearly happened twice, each time after an operation.
Unfinished work and caffeine.
If only I could drive. I have tried learning. I almost demolished James Ivory’s house in America. That was scary; I never drove again.
A doctor, a painter, an actress.
A 19th-century ebony and cane chair from the Raj period.
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