Laughter is costing comedians more & more: Kunal Kamra after Munawar Faruqui’s show gets cancelled
New Delhi: Popular stand-up comedian and activist Kunal Kamra on Sunday said the laughter is costing comedians more and more with every passing year. His statement comes on a day comedian Munawar Faruqui’s show in Bengaluru was called off by the organisers after the city police served them notice.
In their letter to the organisers of the show, the Bengaluru Police had cited the law and order situation in the city while also claiming that Munawar was a controversial comedian who had complaints registered against him for hurting the religious sentiments of people.
The cops had also cited that several organisations in the city were against the show and the comedian was banned in several states of the country.
Reacting to the development, fellow comedian Kunal Kamra shared a note through a Facebook post stating that laughter was costing comedians more and more with each passing year.
“With every passing year I feel laughter is costing comedians more & more. It’s costing them their spontaneity and its costing them their impulse. I have even heard some comedians telling jokes to their lawyers and showing their video to a legal team before they release it online,” (SIC) he wrote in his post.
“The impulse of any artist to be so calculative, a move in itself is the slow death of the art from. Laughter is beautiful, honest & most spurred by spontaneity – if a comedian is calculating what should they present to the audience for the audience to laugh at, the audience will also soon think what should they laugh on.” (SIC) he added.
He then quoted a Zen master and further wrote “A zen master once quoted “when you’re laughing you can never be in the past or the future”. That immense, confounding, timeless beauty of laughter is being penalised & criminalised. Imagine you reaching out to a comedian for a quote and comedian is not even trying to joke & is giving a serious calculated response, not a ephemeral, human reaction.” (SIC) he further added.
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Caste census will form basis for future policy decision, says CM Siddaramaiah
Mysuru (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that the ongoing caste census would form the basis for future policy decisions, asserting that the exercise was crucial to advancing social justice in the state.
Addressing a gathering at the Siddarameshwara Jayanti celebrations here, he said caste enumeration was being carried out for the first time since 1931 and would be followed by deliberations once the report is submitted.
"At present, a caste census (Jaati Sameekshe) is underway. After the report comes, we will discuss it and take necessary decisions," Siddaramaiah said.
He underlined the government’s commitment to equality, stating, "We are committed to social justice. No one should face injustice. Even if not 100 per cent, we will strive to ensure 99 per cent justice."
Referring to measures aimed at addressing intra-caste disparities, the chief minister said the government had already implemented internal reservation based on revised classifications.
"We have gone beyond the Nagamohan Das report and implemented internal reservation… now it has been revised to 5.25 per cent, 5.25 per cent, and 4.5 per cent. This has been approved by the Cabinet," he said.
Siddaramaiah said the broader objective was to ensure equitable distribution of resources and opportunities, while reiterating that policy interventions would be guided by constitutional principles.
"Our objective is equal share and equal life for all," he said.
He also emphasised the role of education in eliminating inequalities, particularly among marginalised communities, and said empowerment was essential to dismantle entrenched caste hierarchies.
"Only when people gain such empowerment can caste divisions be eradicated. Education is essential for this," he added.
The CM said the government would examine demands raised by various communities and take decisions based on feasibility, while ensuring that benefits reached all sections without discrimination.
