The recently held Hasya Kavi Sammelan is a popular forum where poets gather together to present their poetry while interacting with each other and the audience. The format, unique to Hindi Urdu poets, is made special by the finesse with which they weave words into beautiful, thought-provoking verse. Each of these very accomplished poets spoke eloquently on relevant social issues and had their own particular way of artfully blending day-to-day life experiences with frank honesty, vulnerability and an amazing sense of humour.
Mr. Munu Mahawar, Indian Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman was the chief guest for the evening. He was escorted by Dr. Satish Nambiar, Chairman of the Indian Social Club and other dignitaries. Invited from India to regale people were eminent poets Dinesh Raghuvanshi, Sudeep Bhola, Anil Choubey, Mahendra Ajnabi, Hemant Pandey, Nikhat Muradabadi and Mumtaz Nasim. Ably organized and coordinated by Gajesh Dhariwal and his capable team, this year’s edition proved to be a resounding success.
The poets kept the audience tied to their seats for a marathon four hours. Their compositions, some read out, others sung to lilting music, was in equal parts meaningful, patriotic, amusing, but always engaging. Amidst loud bouts of laughter, the poets boldly touched upon some very real issues – the plight of the girl child, the loneliness of the elderly and the machinations of politicians.
Renowned for his amazing ability to make people laugh through the artful use of his words, feted poet Dinesh Raghuvanshi, made an interesting observation. He said, “as children, we used to laugh hundreds of times a day, but as we grow up, we begin to take life serious and forget to laugh. I believe that we need to make a conscious effort to add humour to our life – it will help strengthen relationships and keep us connected to each other. It is important to be thankful for the relationships that we have, to find time for those we love, and understand that our emotions are invaluable as it is what binds us to each other. Today, we live in micro-families and loneliness has become a very real issue. Keeping in touch with friends and family and sharing a laugh makes life easier.”
A study in Norway found that people with a strong sense of humour outlived those who don’t laugh as much. “Nothing diffuses anger and stress faster than a shared laugh. Looking at the funny side can put problems into perspective and enable you to move on from confrontations without holding onto bitterness or resentment,” said Sudeep Bhola, famous for his comic and quick-paced performances on stage. With his poems sung to the tune of popular Bollywood numbers, Sudeep Bhola had the audience in stitches while cracking joke after joke on the current political scenario in India.
Satire and comedy are more than just a pleasant way to pass an evening, humour can have a greater impact on us than we realize. Studies have shown that laughter boosts the immune system and triggers the release of pleasure inducing neuro-chemicals called Endorphins. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain. Laughter also helps create a positive mood and is a great anti-dote to a stressful situation. There’s something particularly special about being part of the shared experience that is live comedy – a unique kind of pleasure that people feel when they come together specifically to laugh. No wonder then that this annual event is so popular and is eagerly awaited year after year.
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