Indian Humour Throughout the Ages

Humour is one of the principal emotions. Indian texts have discussed humour and given it a lot of importance. In ancient Sanskrit theatre, Bharata Muni's Natya Shastra classified humour (hāsyam) as one of the nava rasas, or primary rasas (emotional reactions) that might be generated in the audience by bhavas, or the performers' imitations of emotions.

Throughout Indian history, several facets of humour have been studied. From the Rigveda through current literature, satire has been widely utilised. In Indian literature, humour has been expressed through wordplay, erotica, impromptu, and physical forms. Humour has found a place in Indian art too. In this essay, we seek to explore the many forms of humour throughout Indian history using various examples.

According to the Rigveda, one of the oldest Indian texts, the cause of satire is envy and malevolence which arises out of competition. The Rigveda forbids the use of malicious ridicule. Visvàmitra observes that fools should not be mocked — implying that a knowledgeable person should not compete with an ignorant one. The uneducated are mocked, and this instils animosity in them. This also implies that one should not do something that others may criticise (Tripāṭhī 2004).

There is no gap between two words in written Sanskrit if the first finishes on a consonant and the second begins with a vowel. This has given rise, particularly in poetry, to the potential of writing lines that may be split in a variety of ways, resulting in at least one serious interpretation and at least one humorous version. Even if the comedic interpretation isn't especially amusing, the comedy comes from the juxtaposition of the two (Clasquin 2001). An actual use of this approach in Indian poetry yields two potential interpretations of a single poem — for example Rasikaranjana, which appear in English as:

Version 1: One should strive at once to be devoted to the Absolute Self. Damn the man who worships Shiva only occasionally, only in distress.

Version 2: One should try to get another man's wife to do what he wants to do. Damn the man who overcomes desire with pain, who settles for one wife, who conquers himself (Siegel 1987).

A large part of early Indian humour has been erotic in nature, at times being blatantly pornographic. Such examples are seen in the Jatakas, which are famous legends about the Buddha's previous incarnations and are perpetuated in all branches of Buddhism. In these, the future Buddha appears as either a human or an animal. In the Nalinika Jataka, for example, a naïve ascetic sees a nude lady for the first time and asks what happened to her penis — she adds that it was ripped off by a bear and asks him to examine the wound and "kiss it and make it better" (Siegel 1987). The Kacchapa Jataka is much more explicit in its depiction of a monkey masturbating in the ear of a meditating brahmin.

Art has also been used to communicate humour in Indian history. The ascetic cat (Māmallapuram), surgeon monkey (Mathurā), tooth or hair extraction by monkey doctor (Bharhut), monkeys protecting their friend (Mukteśvara), the greedy sons of Hariti, Vidūṣaka, and the 'Peeping Tom' (Bodhgayā) are few instances of Indian sculpture deploying comic imagery. One of the possible explanations for the inclusion of these comical depictions in religious monuments is that they provided respite to a confined mind engaged in self-control when staring at serious religious subjects for too long.

Tickling was a common form of physical comedy in India. In the 11th century, commenting on Bharata's list of comedic mood drivers, Abhinavagupta understood kuhaka — the term for "trickery" — to specifically refer to tickling, to touching children's necks, armpits, and the like, in order to surprise them. Tickling was a trick because it included surprise and deception. It was considered by Abhinavagupta as a source of fundamental laughter or a tactile analogue of the cerebral or aesthetic processes that generate comedic laughter (Siegel 1987).

Impromptu humour is another facet of humour found in Indian history. An example would be the Kabigaan folk songs famous between the 17th and 19th century in Bengal. Two groups performed the traditional tunes, each led by a "Kabiyaal," accompanied by singers known as "Dohar" who frequently repeated what the Kabiyaal sang. On stage, Kabiyaals composed verses and their rhythm spontaneously. A kabigaan event began with a bandana to honour either gods or individuals, followed by agamani, a Radha–Krishna-related song. Then four songs on different topics were sung: Sakhi sambad dealt with love songs about Radha and Krishna; Biraha was about the agony of separation felt by regular folk; Kheur was mostly concerned with gods and goddesses; and Lahar was the competitive part in which Kabiyaals directly battled each other musico-verbally, with the compositions being humorous and mocking in character.

The use of satire in Indian humour achieved renewed importance during British administration. It was almost as though the weak utilised it to vent their feelings; at times, it was the only option. At the turn of the 19th century, direct satirical attacks were scarce. Bengali writers not only criticised and derided the British, but also engaged in some self-flagellation, criticising their own compatriots. They took on the role of the naïve fool who pretended to admire the British while inwardly sneering at them (Vijayasree 2004) — double-entendres, one layer for the ruler and one for the ruled. An example would be Ishwar Gupta's tribute to Queen Victoria:

Tumi Ma Kalpataru Amra shab posha goru / Shikhini shing bankano, Kebol khhabo khhol bichali ghash. / Jano ranga amla tule mamla / Gamla bhange na.

(You are a generous mother / And we are your tame cattle / We haven't even learnt to raise our head / We'll only eat oil-cakes, straw and grass. / We only hope the white boss doesn't take us to the court.)

The final line is an apparent allusion to British policemen's oppressive practices of raiding Indian residents' homes and hauling them before magistrates on minor charges.

Even Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, in his "Ingraj-stotra," put on the mask of applauding the British while mocking them (Vijayasree 2004):

Oh Englishman! I'm bowing in obeisance to you. ... You are the incarnation of Krishna in the modern age. The plume on the head of the cowherd prince has become your hat; his waistband is your trousers, and his flute your whip. I therefore bow in obeisance to you... Oh the great benefactor! Grant me a boon. I'll put on a cap and follow you forever wherever you go, but give me a job... award me the title of Raja, Rai Bahadur, make me a member of the Council...

On one level, we may discern an element of self-criticism in these humorous compositions. Chattopadhyay mocks himself for his utter capitulation, cowardice, and obsequiousness in his dealings with the British overlords. On another level, these verses appear to be a proxy war.

A shift is noticed between the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, when satirical attacks became more direct in response to the changing power balance in Bengal. The British attempted to stifle the publication of sarcastic poems. Kazi Nazrul Islam was condemned to a year in jail for composing anti-British poetry in 1923. While imprisoned, he released a humorous song mocking the English jail superintendent. Despite persecution, satire as a tool against colonial rule continued to occupy a significant sector in Bengali writing, frequently attracting official condemnation.

In India, humour has been utilised for a variety of objectives, ranging from entertainment to criticism. Various aspects of humour have been employed in Indian literature, art forms, and music — they form an essential part of Indian history and contribute to India's rich cultural legacy.

Bibliography

1. Clasquin, Michel. 2001. "Real Buddhas Don't Laugh: Attitudes towards Humour and Laughter in Ancient India and China." Social Identities 7 (1): 97–116. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504630120043549.
2. Siegel, Lee. 1989. Laughing Matters: Comic Tradition in India. Delhi; Varanasi: Motilal Banarsidass.
3. Tripāṭhī, Bhāgīrathaprasāda. 2004. Humour in Ancient India. Varanasi: Vāgyoga Chetanāpīṭham.
4. Vijayasree, C. 2004. Writing the West: 1750–1947: Representations from Indian Languages. New Delhi: Sahitya Akademi.