The line has been drawn for jokes. Though the soft humour of late Sushma Swaraj won hearts, memes and cartoons spoofing leaders regularly land Indians in jail.
Jokes to Jail
Avdhesh Dubey, a toy seller on trains in Surat, found mimicking political leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Gandhis and Arvind Kejriwal was not good for his wellbeing.
He was arrested by the Railway Protection Force after a hilarious video went viral and booked under the Railway Act for crimes, including Section 44 (prohibition on hawking and begging), 145 B (spreading nuisance or using abusive language in railway carriage), 147 (unlawful entry into train).
A Railway Court ordered his imprisonment for 10 days, but he got bail.
Humour Weapon
Once night falls, 45-year-old domestic help-cum-cook Deepika Mhatre turns into a stand-up comedian at cafes and restaurants in Mumbai. Her wisecracks are paying the bills.
It all started when the lady of the house where she worked as a maid organised a “bai log” where domestic help showed off their talents in music, art and pantomime. For Deepika, it was comedy.
The show changed her life: she was shortlisted for India’s Got Talent and appeared on a game show on Star Plus.
But her day job is the same: taking the local train at dawn to hawk imitation jewellery to passengers, after which she goes to Malad where she cooks for five families.
Once her stand-up acts are done, she gets back home after midnight. On stage, she makes fun of the discrimination towards servants who are not allowed to sit on sofas but only on the floor, drink from separate glasses and eat from different plates.
Through it all Deepika doesn’t come across as a bitter person but as someone who applies humour to bring out discrimination in society.