Karachi This year’s Karachi Literature Festival had a rough run. Not only did it lose out on its two most important speakers from across the border – Nandita Das and Anupam Kher – it also failed to retain its original essence, thanks to an over-commercialized event that propelled more of a ‘mela’ vibe. To top it off, some of the sessions either had us yawning or were mismanaged with speakers turning up late.
KLF2016
Satirists put their funniest foot forward at the Karachi Literature Festival, attracting a huge number of humour enthusiasts.
Karachi
This year’s Karachi Literature Festival had a rough run. Not only did it lose out on its two most important speakers from across the border – Nandita Das and Anupam Kher – it also failed to retain its original essence, thanks to an over-commercialized event that propelled more of a ‘mela’ vibe. To top it off, some of the sessions either had us yawning or were mismanaged with speakers turning up late. Apart from thought-provoking art that graced the walls of Beach Luxury Hotel, a book fair that was a readers’ haven and a coup in form of transgender rights activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi’s presence, one of the strongest features of KLF was comedy. And stand-up comedians Sanjay Rajoura and Saad Haroon had the people in fits of laughter!
‘Laughter is the Best Medicine’ was indisputably the most populated session of Day 2, with an audience crammed into seats, standing at the back and brimming over, out of the main doors. Nadeem Farooq Paracha, a great satirist in his own right, was moderator but he had little to do for the two stand-up comedians had enough quick-witted humour up their sleeves to engage the audience. Saad remained true to his ethos of clean, light-hearted humour – picking up on life’s instances – but it was Indian import Sanjay Rajoura, who was the real shining star.
Unlike most comedians who often play up stereotypes, Sanjay’s brand of comedy was targeted at combating racist, stereotypical mindsets by making one laugh at the absurdity of such notions. As an Indian in Pakistan, Sanjay did not hesitate venturing into extremist jokes or political ones that many would refrain from; instead he dived straight into them, often making people shuffle around uncomfortably. Though he spoke about it at length, it was obvious that Sanjay wasn’t the sort who would write his script beforehand. He revels in ‘shock-and-awe’ kind of comedy, holding a mirror to society and its hypocritical values.
As enjoyable as Sanjay’s acts were, they didn’t stop certain elements among the audience members from creating unnecessary tension. The panel discussion that covered the length and breadth of stand-up comedy, its purpose as a tool to bust social myths and its mechanics, at times veered into unwelcome territory with a couple of people bringing Kashmir issue to the fore. While that made Saad visibly irritated, Sanjay would take up the question and turn it into yet another joke.
“For me audience reaction is just fodder. It’s a new story for tomorrow. When I am on stage, I don’t have any expectations from the audience because I believe that I am not there to entertain them and they aren’t there to entertain me,” Sanjay told Instep, later. One of the looming concerns for us was whether audiences would be able to relate to Sanjay because no matter how similar India and Pakistan are, culture wise, they’re also equally unique. However, Sanjay managed to nail his performance, making fun of both societies with a perfect balance – swinging between Modi and Imran Khan, rather cleverly.
“As a comedian I should be aware of the unique points of a society and have an understanding of the issues that prevail. I can’t just walk on stage and start making fun of things without knowing about, for example, PTI’s politics or Taliban issues. At the end of the day, I don’t want to come across as stupid or ignorant because then why would anybody want to attend my show,” Sanjay added on the importance of tailoring his acts for the Pakistani audience.
Over all, it was interesting to see satirists walk the tough line between making fun of stereotypes and perpetuating them. Pakistan, like most high politicized nations, has a very mature and developed sense of humour. And the success of comedy as a performance art at the KLF was a healthy sign because any nation that can take a joke on itself is a nation on the path to recovery. Laughter truly is the best medicine.
