Indian Humour (360 repost)

As Human beings most of us enjoy a good tickle. It brings forth bubbling mirth, laughter and is very pleasurable. As we grow older our sense of humor gets refined and with it comes the realization that there are things that tickle our Mind. Unlike the tactile tickle of toddler hood, the tickle of the mind has a wide range of sources. Good play of words, subtlety, and a straight-face during narration are some of the characteristics of good Humor. Really good comedians know how to be honest without offending the listener's sensibility. Depending on the receptivity of the observer, what a person does, their clothing, their mannerisms, accents while using a non-native language, what they say or write becomes the source of a mental tickle. When it comes to humor, nothing is Sacred.

Humor plays a major role in life. There is usually someone in our lives who we like being around because they have a good sense of Humour. If it was not for some funny people in my life, I don't think I would have enjoyed my present disposition to life Most of them are Indians, and most have a very subtle sense of humor. Their wit is wholesome. You have to pay attention to the words that is said and those that are not said, along with their demeanor, tone of voice and gestures used to really understand the humor

The hierarchical society in India has etiquette that is very different from the West. Humor is a very sensitive matter for Indians. Most of them are very private, when it comes to joking. In India, it is understood, that there were places and times that were appropriate for joking. Most Indians are mindful of the elders, people from other language groups, foreigners and people who were different either by caste, economy or profession. Humor was to be used discreetly. It was considered ill manners to poke fun at a teacher or priest as these vocations are highly respected. Holy books, religious observances and knowledge are considered sacred, so we usually don't make fun of holy books. Of course, like all things, it is always fun to break the rules. We can always poke fun of the sacred, privately, amongst our own peer group of like minded people.

To an outsider, it would almost seem like Indians are the most emotionally suppressed people in the world. They would rarely find them joking. Most Indian kids would hear this common warning an elder would use, is "Ladayi ki jadh, haansi; Bhimari ki jadh, kaansi"  meaning - The cause for war, a laugh; the cause for disease, a cough. This proverb has its basis in the Epic, Mahabharatha. The War of Kurukshetra, is an 18 day long war between the cousins, Pandavas and Kauravas. The war supposedly began over one laugh in the hall of Mirrors. Panchali, the wife of the Pandavas laughed at Duryodhana, the prince of the Kauravas when he jumped into what he thought was a pool of water in the hall of Mirrors. Panchali laughingly comments that it was to be expected since he was the son of a blind father. That comment was too much to bear for Duryodhana's ego. He avenged his insult by making sure the Pandavas lost their kingdom in a game of dice, leading to the war of Kurukshetra.

There is not much literature on Indian Humor or its traditions on the Internet and not many books written about Humor in the past or the present. And if there were any, it is probably lost in Translation or to the various book burning fiestas of imperial Invasions. I became interested in finding out the traditions in Indian humor after a good friend of mine suggested I look into the topic. I had presumed that being an Indian acquainted with Indian Humor, it should be an easy thing to write about but I was surprised. I have had to draw upon what have "heard and read" in the recent times as opposed to what I have seen in the past literature about Indian humor.

I watched the movie "Looking For Comedy In The Muslim World" with Albert Brooks. I was quite disappointed the way it was made.  Would I recommend the movie to anyone? I would say, watch if you want to, it didn't impress me. His sense of humour was lost on me, but maybe you will find it funny.

In Indian philosophy, humor and a joyous disposition are essential for a good life. The teachings of most Great Gurus usually have a good dose of jest. Swami Vivekananda said- "The first sign of your becoming religious is that you are becoming cheerful". Either laughing at oneself or at another is implemented in teaching the philosophy of life through Indian perspective. The purpose of humor is the same no matter what the cultural base. Humor eases displeasure, fear or disgust; helps an individual cope with the stress in life. Truth is a bitter pill but tempered with Humor, it is easy to digest.

The Sanskrit word for Humor is Haasya. In the Natyashastra, an Indian treatise on Dance, Emotions called Bhava, has nine rasas or moods. Rasa also translates as Taste or flavor depending on the context. Haasya or mirth is one of moods. Indian historical accounts talk of "Vidushakas" -jesters, most every kingdom and king had at least one. In the Puranas, the attendants of Shiva, the Destructive form of God, play different roles, of which "Pramatha" is one of them. A Pramatha is the one who teases, hassles or harasses another to the point of laughter. They are usually depicted as dwarfish, potbellied, impish, playful characters in sculptors and paintings.

Unlike the genres of humor in the west, there is no a clear distinction of satire, wit or parody in Indian literature. Most Indian kids get their first introduction to Indian humorous literature, through the tales from Panchatantra, Hitopadesha, Birbal, Tenali Rama, Krishna and the Festival of Holi. There is humor within the Epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharatha. The Panchatantra and Hitopadesha had stories with morals while presenting the ideals and values for a harmonious life, in a humorous manner. The stories of Birbal, Krishna and Tenali Rama were more about using our wits and humor to deal with troublesome situations. Raja Birbal was a Minister in the Moghul king Akbar's court. Tenali Rama was the court poet during the time of the Pallava King, Krishnadevaraya. Tenali Rama was a scholar of several languages and wrote in 5 different languages. There were stories of Krishna and his boyhood pranks which appeals to the kids for its simplicity. The festival of Holi marks the beginning of spring and is usually celebrated in the months of March-April. The major feature of this festival is pranks played on each other. Although the legends and philosophy attached to it is somber, it is a sort of All fool's day with more color and goodies to eat.

In the early 80's the stories of country bumpkin, Supandi, who ended up being in hilarious situations either because of ignorance or absentmindedness was a source of laughter. The stories and poems by Kaaka Hathrasi, mostly written in Hindi were quite famous. The 80's were also the time for funny sitcoms over the TV and Videos in different languages. The most famous ones used to be the Punjabi and Pakistani skits. In the late 80's there was a production called "Flop show" by the comedian Jaspal Bhatti. I particularly remember this theme about a Wake for a Dead Telephone, which was a situational comedy. It poked fun of the state of the Indian Telecom Industry of that time, its bureaucracy, its inefficiency and the apathy of the general public.

Every culture has its own stereotypes, flaws, idiosyncrasies and foibles. Every region in India has some sect of people who become the victim of humor. There are Gujju jokes about Gujarathis, Mallu jokes about Keralites, Bihari jokes about people from Bihar, Bong jokes about Bengalis, Sardhaji jokes about the Sikhs etc. Each usually talking of a particular mannerism, attitude, accent, the use of language and the way they live. The most famous of the Sikh jokes used to be about the two characters Santo and Banto Singh.

There are also writing styles for humor. While many are in prose and short story formats, there are those in the form of verse. This format is used in Kannada writings. It is called "Hanigavana" meaning short poem. They are usually two to four lines long and deal with socio-political aspect of life. The poet attempts to show the reader what is wrong, while tickling the reader with clever use of words.

Jokes in Indian languages do not sound funny to those who don't know the language. The translated version ceases to be as funny as it sounds in the original language. The subtle nuances that a language carries are lost. Maybe, that is the reason there isn't much information on traditional Indian humor. After all, Indians are reticent about their historical traditions and don't think highly of record keeping, they rely more on the oral accounts and memory. Also, there are not many Indian Sanskrit scholars who are proficient in translating Humor from the traditional texts to English language without losing out on the subtle nuances.

With the advent of globalization and technologies that has made the world smaller, the Indian comic scene is changing. There are, comedians who are making a name for themselves in their adopted countries with adopted languages. Although Stand up comedy is not particularly well known in India there has been a spate of stand up comedians within the Indian Diaspora outside India. Crystal Gomes and Russell Peters are Canadians of Indian Origin who have made a name for themselves in the field of stand up comedy. While in the USA, there are about half a dozen comedians of Indian Origin who send out laughter via comedy clubs. Anand Chulani, Vijai Nathan, Dan Nainan, Paul Varghese and Vidur Kapur come to mind. There's Papa CJ and Ayesha Hazarika in the UK. Melvin Durai is an Indian based in Indiana, who writes humourous articles on all things Indian. He also does occasional Stand up comedy. I really enjoy his humour.

With a lot of Indians now residing outside India and the Countries of adoption being generally smitten by all things Indian, Indian humor is a Niche market. There have been attempts in the recent years to get the comedians of Indian Origin together to put up shows in different parts of the world. We will probably see more such attempts in the coming years. How much of that humour is actually Indian and how much of it is Influence due to being removed from India is something that remains to be seen.