Humour helps

   22.06.2020

My phone beeps. Ah, another video ! . The shot opens with  rolls of Toilet paper. I’m already smiling, ‘mm must be good. Someone immediately reciprocates with a rather funny video of an airplane wobbling dangerously in midair,  as a booming voice over announces “This is your pilot speaking, I’m working from home today!” A third video arrives of a proud father asking his kid at the dining table what he learned  today and the brat reeling off:” ಲೇಸ್ ಚಿಪ್ಸ್ ಪ್ಯಾಕೆಟ್ನಲ್ಲಿ 33 ಚಿಪ್ಸ್ ಇರುತ್ತವೆ. 6 ದೊಡ್ಡದು,17 ಮೀಡಿಯಂ, ಬಾಕಿ  ಚೂರುಗಳು , ಫ್ಯಾನ್ ಸ್ವಿಚ್ ಆಫ್ ಮಾಡಿದ 1 ನಿಮಿಷ + 13 ಸೆಕೆಂಡ್ ಆದ ಮೇಲೆ ನಿಲ್ಲುತ್ತದೆ  , ಮ್ಯಾಗಿ ನೂಡಲ್ಸ್ ಮಾಡಲು 2 ನಿಮಿಷವಲ್ಲ,4 ನಿಮಿಷ + 38 ಸೆಕೆಂಡ್ ಆಗುತ್ತದೆ , ನನ್ನ ಬಾತ್ರೂಮ್ನಲ್ಲಿ  126 ಟೈಲ್ಸ್ ಇವೆ  , 65 ನೀಲಿ ,61 ಬಿಳಿ “ . Gag !. And on it goes.

We laugh to grab control and to connect—two things I suppose we have misplaced in our fight against the corona-virus. Not only are we unable to stop the surge of infection , but we are being forced to suffer this reality alone in our own home. The  pandemic has caused so many unexpected things to happen. Political leaders have confined people at home, though they themselves are often seen flouting every norm .  The world has gone into hibernation intimidated by this massive  health crisis . Powerless and isolated, we’re finding that lightheartedness  is now our armour and our cozy comfort.

There’s been a torrent of silly videos ,Wisecracks, memes, and general absurdity. We are apprehensive but we seem intent to carry on laughing.

What is it about calamity  that is so amusing? Why do we find ourselves immersed in FB,Twitter,Whatsapp incessantly, alternately looking at COVID-19 death rate Graph and puerile  memes? How can we  find something so alarming one instant & and; comical the next? And what is it about this pandemic that has generated such an enormous amount of wit ? Even as I am lazing  out in the living  room & locked-down , a video has  just arrived  featuring a Gabbar Singh look alike bellowing from the ravines “jab  baccha bahar se aata hai,toh maa kehti hai  HAATH DHO LO, varna corona-virus  aa jaayega”. Is this another kind of epidemic ?

  The CM of an important state , who was just recently  tested for suspected  COVID-19      — announced that he would send every resident   a letter urging people to follow social-distancing guidelines. In no time a manipulated picture of a   ruddy nosed CM , tongue lolling out ,holding up an envelope, captioned: “ open at your own peril” did the rounds on a Social Media. Group.We love lampooning our Netas, don’t we? How’s that for an LOL.? We joke because if we didn’t, we’d cry. But humour is more than cocking a snook at power. It is satire.

Reflecting on these strange times of corona-virus induced seclusion, I realized I have viewed more funny videos  in 10 days than in the past two years. Perhaps this is also why when we receive jokes from friends, we impulsively forward them to others. We are reaching out, establishing a shared experience. And when all the jokes are about life in lock-down, we instinctively do so even more. Because we have been banned from Assembling in person, we do so online.

In the current crisis, humour is everywhere as is fear. Laughter binds us together against a common adversary. The jokes and memes being shared are not (yet) nasty, partly because the threat is extensive. But it can easily change. The jokes are mostly about the silliness of life locked away, the domestic sham and ridiculous concerns. They are about fitness regimen and Zoom Calls, the challenges of working from home, and, of course mask, Social distancing & sanitizer. However, we should be on guard in case the jokes begin to target the  sick, or those who might be accused of causing the disaster.

 While witticism may not get us out of this awful crisis, it can help us deal with it. We cannot change the reality of the disease or its overall impact, but we can try and change the perception .

By creating and sharing humour we can withstand  better, and mitigate  some of the stress caused due to the pandemic. That way we can have at least some control of the situation.   What better way to do that than having a hearty laugh?

  Signing off, I am compulsively thumbing through my handset. The latest video shows a family glued to the TV. The child asks the father ”How long will this virus last?” Chipping in  , the mother emphatically says ”Not long.  It is made in China”.  Mother knows best ?