No recession in humour

A section of the audience. Hey, who is that scribbling something in right corner?

Humour Club members present a skit
(This is a news report I wrote for our newspaper today on humour, so a bit lengthy. Grin and bear it)

Scorching summer and raging recession can crush the spirits of even a strong-willed man, but what better way to handle daily stress than by chilling out and laughing to our heart’s content. That’s precisely what an august crowd of 100 was doing on a pre-August weekend at Balaji Bhavan in Karama, Dubai.
They were all members of the Emirates Humour Club (EHC). What started with a handful of curious people sharing jokes has become a talk of the town in eight months.
The members meet for non-stop laughter from 5pm to 7pm on the second Friday of every month.
“EHC also stands for ‘Eeeee, Haaaa, Corner’ where once in a month, ordinary people gather, laugh it out and become extraordinary people. This is one forum where people take humour seriously and everything else in life lightly,” say KG Guna and Suresh Krishnan, who are the brain behind the club. Both are seasoned entertainers and communicators with a penchant for humour.
The organisers declared at the outset, “No jokes related to sex, politics or religion.”
The mini hall reverberated with sounds of laughter every time a participant shared a joke with the audience.
Many people hesitate to go to the dais and share a joke. “If I say something they will laugh,” they say. “But is not the whole idea to do that?” ask the organisers.
Why is it that the crowd comprises mostly south Indians and a lone Filipina?
“Well, as the name suggests, our doors are open to one and all. But maybe the message has not yet reached strongly across all communities,” says Guna.
The participants churned out jokes in quick succession. A few samples:
* A wife tells her hubby, “Get me a job in your office.” His reply: “Why? You don’t want me to sleep in peace at office too?”
*A Grade I boy child tells mom, “I want to take tuitions.” “You are just in Grade I. Who will take your help?” asked the mom. “Some kindergarten girls are willing.”
* A newborn child tells mom: “Give your cellphone, hurry.”
Why?
“I wanna give a miss call to God. I am born perfect. Thanks.”
*After a bus accident some lost their legs and hands and were screaming. The conductor tells one of them, “There is a man there who has lost his head. Is he screaming like you?”
The organisers say that the club was started with a noble intention of offering relief to hard working residents of the UAE. The subscription is free at the moment.
Residents can simply walk to the venue and register their details. They will be intimated about all activities of the club by email and telephone. EHC’s joke of the week is also sent to members regularly by email.
The president of the club opens the proceedings with a humorous welcome address which is followed by the “general humour session.” The compere breaks the ice with the opening remarks and calls out from the list to the podium to share humour.
Joke sharing is the basic requirement for a humorist. Applied humour like mimicry, slapstick comedy and miming are also in the fray.
Besides, humorous skits are part of the activities at the EHC and with every session special skits spanning 10 to 15 minutes enthrall the audience, covering latest developments from the media and around the world.
Finding a venue proved troublesome initially. That was when Kalai Chelvan, a fun lover, allowed us to use a hall on the first floor of Balaji Bhavan. Seeing the happy faces, the managing director of a private company, AG Perumaal, agreed to sponsor future meetings, say the organisers.
“The bottom line is that EHC is committed to change the lives of many for better. After all ‘Smile is a simple curve that can make everything straight.’ Let us straighten up, smile and make a difference,” echo Guna and Suresh.