To add a hearty dose of laughter to the Holi weekend, Hindusthan Club presented Hasya Kavi Sammelan, in association with t2, on March 8 at the Science City Auditorium. Three hasya kavis (poets specialising in humour) —  Kumar Vishwas, Hemant Pandey and Prabudh Saurabh, along with “patriotic poet” Abhiram Pathak— had the audience in splits with their take on everything from politics to Bollywood and marriage. Singer Mumtaz Naseem, the only woman in the group, read out shayaree composed by her during the three-hour-long programme in the packed auditorium. Snapshots...

 

CLUBSPEAK:“We organise the Kavi Sammelan every year to celebrate Holi so that our members get something new each time. Last year we invited Sailesh Lodha (of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah fame), and this year we invited Kumar Vishwas because his poetry is of a very different kind. This is his first programme in Calcutta. We are glad that everyone appreciated it,” said Anjani Dhanuka, honorary secretary, Hindusthan Club.

What they loved

“Kumar Vishwas was superb. I am not very interested in poetry but because he’s a good poet and I had heard him on YouTube, I came for the event. Twenty five members came for the show from the AAP Howrah office. This cap is the symbol of the AAP party, so we wore it,” said Aman Singh, AAP volunteer and an engineering student from Howrah.

“I’ve been attending the hasya kavi sammelans for the last 30 years. I’ve heard Kumar Vishwas on YouTube before and he’s very fresh. We should have more performances by him in Calcutta. He was very entertaining,” said Kishore Kumar Gupta, vice-chairman, anti-corruption cell, International Human Rights Association. 

“It was a great experience. All the other poets were nice but Kumar Vishwas’s performance was great!” said Neha Jhunjhunwala, a homemaker.

 

The star of the evening, Kumar Vishwas, an AAP leader, took the stage to loud applause from AAP supporters who had turned up in their trademark party hats. “I think we should let America be America. If you’re travelling by car in the US, the GPS keeps working wherever you go. It doesn’t even feel like you’ve left the family behind. It doesn’t stop talking!” said Kumar.

 

 

 

 

Mumtaz Naseem, a ghazal singer, recited self-composed verses on the theme of love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOL AT CALCUTTA SWIMMING CLUB

 

Whoever said laughter is the best medicine was a very wise man. A crowd of over 600 people gathered in the emptied swimming pool of The Calcutta Swimming Club for Hasya Kavi Sammelan presented by Calcutta Swimming Club in association with t2 on March 2, as part of pre-Holi celebrations. Five hasya kavis — Chirag Jain, Gaurav Sharma, Ras Bihari Gaur, Praveen Shukla and Arun Gemini — had the club members laughing out loud in no time. Covering a wide range of topics such as marriage and politics, the hasya kavis drew a lot of appreciation — “bahut achhe” and “wah bhai” — from the audience. 

What they loved

Minu and Sanjay Budhia shared many a laugh. “Laughter costs nothing and yet it is so valuable. It is great that CSC organises the hasya kavi sammelan as it’s almost disappearing everywhere else but in Calcutta. We as an audience are very fortunate to be able to attend such events. I look forward to it at least once every year and thoroughly enjoy myself,” Minu told t2.

 

 

 

 

“This is my first time at a hasya kavi sammelan and I’m really having a lot of fun,” said Vandana Sahal, a fashion designer.

“Coming to events like these is very refreshing. One needs a break from monotony sometimes and what better way than to laugh?” said Anjali Lakhotia, a consultant.

 

CLUBSPEAK

(L-R) H.P. Budhia, CSC president Ketan Shanghavi and wife Leena laugh out loud. “This event is such that it can be enjoyed by members of all age groups. We have a hasya kavi sammelan every year before Holi and it is very popular. Life has become very fast for us so it’s nice to take a break and attend such programmes with your family members once in a while,” said Shanghavi.

 

 

FIVE ROFL MOMENTS

I asked my friend, ‘Tell me a way in which I can remember my wife’s birthday every year.’ He replied, ‘Forget it one year.’ — Chirag Jain

A real Marwari checks his balance even after a missed call. 
— Gaurav Sharma

Wife: I think the dhobi has stolen our towel. Husband: The one from Oberoi or the one from Taj? — Gaurav Sharma

I asked my friend who works in a bank: ‘When it comes to car loans and house loans, the property is seized if you can’t pay your loan. What happens in case of a marriage loan? Do you seize the wife?’ He replied, ‘No we deposit our wives to them!’ — Ras Bihari Gaur

Television serials these days are so funny. Everybody is having an affair with some character or the other and what do they name the soap? Pavitra Rishta! — Gaurav Sharma

Text: Deborima Ganguly