It can be someone slipping on a banana peel or an elaborate riff on the dynamics of the relationship between men and women. If it’s funny it is funny. Funny has not been part of the deal of late. The virus has ensured that with too many bodies in crematoriums and burial grounds and an equally large number battling for their lives in the hospital. Funny does not come easy at such times. But it is important. After all humour makes us more resilient, creative and resourceful thus making it more important than ever during a pandemic.
There is a cliché for
every situation and yes here is one. Laughter is the best medicine.
Cartoonists, standup comedians are all doing their bit to ensure humour does
not leave the room. Kartik Sadvij a local standup comedian said “They say
humour is the best medicine. Maybe not the best, but it is certainly better
than Coronil in my opinion. The past year, folks have been confined to their
home and while that might keep Covid at bay, boredom, stress, frustration,
declining mental health and Dalgona Coffee are on the rise due to isolation.
Many have turned to interacting, studying and working on platforms such as
Zoom, and so have comedians. Stand up comedians have been forced to resort to
sit down comedy while entertaining audiences from across the globe and blaming
jokes that don’t land on bad networks.
Humour has allowed people to momentarily lighten up from the
brooding news, missing loved ones and the chore of washing dishes.
Cartoonist Alexyz, one of the doyens of Goa’s humour movement,
felt it was very important to retain one’s sense of humour. He said it helped
build one’s immunity. He said “Very few people realise how important it is in
the fight against the disease. When we laugh we get this cocktail of hormones
that strengthens our emotional bonds in a way that wouldn’t otherwise be
possible. Studies show it makes us more resilient, creative and resourceful.”
Laughter, he pointed out, was used as therapy. He said it started when a top
actor or director in the west was told he did not have much time to live. He
then decided to spend his time watching funny movies or snippets of Charlie
Chaplin, the Goonies and various other funny people. Surprisingly after a while
when a check was conducted the doctor informed him the debilitation illness was
no longer present in his system. A good belly laugh he said activated two
hundred nerves in the system. Alexyz said “I have composed a laughter song.
Whenever I have a crowd, I start with the song. I take laughter very seriously.
I can have a laughter session for an hour.”
Tiatrists are also excellent at tickling the funny bone. Prince
Jacob, one of the icons of tiatr, felt humour was very important in these
strange times. He said “It is important for the family to be together, to make
fun of each other and to play pranks on each other. One has to be able to
retain that sense of humour. We released a tiatr called Bandkar online. It is a
show for the family and is a comedy and other emotions”
Comedian Humbert, another stalwart in the business said the
importance of humour was really felt now. He said “If you are happy and free of
tension then Covid will not attack you. He said “In this present time, everyone
seems moody and down. Laughter can improve the stability of a person”.
The younger generation also believes in the importance of
humour. Sivani works in a software company during the week but the weekends are
devoted to drawing cartoons or just painting. She said “Everyone seems to feel
the need for some laughter in their lives. It shows itself in small ways.
During an online meeting sometimes, the juniors are exchanging funny notes or
someone is drawing something expressing his or her urge to visit the toilet.
During the week it is intense working from home but on weekends I let my
imagination run wild in funny ways”.
Gajanan Chari runs an agency and works long hours but feels the
need to lighten up. Having done political cartoons in the past he feels humour
is an absolutely essential part of life, essentially now. He said “The new
normal is not normal. I have worked twelve hours at a stretch and it is not
easy. If I come out with any new content, I always try to add some humour
because people need something that makes them smile.”
There can be life without humour but it would be a sad listless
one. Humour adds that spark that is needed to make life worth living. And that
is something no one ever forgets. Ever.