Humour Is Both a Lock and Key to A Conversation

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 16 July 2024 A Person Who Has A Sharp Sense Of Humour Should Also Know That Precise Psychological Moment When To Say Nothing. Speech Is Silver. But Silence Is Golden. Humour Is The Essence Of Life And It Can Dispel The Pall Of Gloom. ---- 'Zarafat Agar Kaleed-E-Guftagoo Hai Toh Ye Qufl-E-Alaap Bhi Hai ' (If humour is a key to conversation, it may also be a lock to further interaction). Famous humourist and satirist Mujtaba Hussain's famous advice always reverberates in my consciousness. Humour is indeed a key to a lively conversation and people with a good sense of humour are admired by all, especially by women. But it could also prove to be one's undoing if limits are crossed. Wit and humour are very subtle things and like salt in food, their quantities should also be very measured. In an attempt to amuse others, many people relegate themselves to the level of jokers. They forget that instead of laughing at their silly and trite jokes, people are actually laughing at them. They're not the cynosure of a gathering, but are actually the butt of jokes and snide remarks. 'The problem with humorous people is that they don't know whether they're modern court-jesters trying to impress their kings and queens or 'witty' talkers cracking jokes tirelessly and often foolishly, ' observed Mark Twain, himself a great humourist. A person who has a sharp sense of humour should also know that precise psychological moment when to say nothing. Speech is silver. But silence is golden. Humour is the essence of life and it can dispel the pall of gloom. But surfeit of anything is bad. There're situations in life when words worsen the predicament and the out-of-place lightheartedness trivialises the seriousness of a sombre moment. The Scottish proverb, 'You shouldn't crack jokes at a cemetery,' speaks volumes about the need to joke only at an opportune moment. Overdose of a drug kills. Likewise, too much humour also embitters the convivial mood. P G Wodehouse, Jerome K Jerome, P L Deshpande (of Maharashtra), the late K P Saxena, Mujtaba Hussain and his elder brother Ibrahim Jalees, among others used to make their readers laugh but they seldom tried to steal the limelight in a gathering by cracking jokes incessantly. In fact, all the great humourists have been serious in appearance and they cracked their jokes with a straight face. Surender Sharma and Hullad Muradabadi recite their hugely humorous poems with a sombre face. Kaka Haathrasi, the doyen of Haasya Kavita, never recited more than two poems in any gathering, whether private or public. Arun Kolhatkar observed that P L Deshpande seldom cracked jokes in gatherings, though his spontaneously witty remarks amused all and evoked guffaws. A humourist ought to have a sense of wit because wit and humour go hand in hand. Wit of a true humourist sees to it that he mustn't exceed his limits and repeat his jokes ad nauseum. Another great Marathi humourist P K Atre seldom cracked jokes when he was in a large group comprising women as well, though with his closest friends sans any woman, he used to crack puns and homonyms that often bordered on a tad vulgarity. Mind you, all jokes after some time, sound monotonous. Humour must be spontaneous and never laboured. It should also be healthy and not indecent. Bawdy humour and ribald jokes can be hugely entertaining but are seldom wholeheartedly appreciated because of their obscene contents. Women get embarrassed and men of refined tastes also feel awkward and uncomfortable. This is one aspect that must be remembered by all humourists and comedians. The present comedians of Hindi cinema need a crash course in the 'anatomy of healthy humour.' See the humorous antics and listen to the dialogues of Mahmood, Johnny Walker, Asrani, Rajendranath, among others. They made the viewers laugh but didn't cheapen themselves. They didn't twist or distort their faces to make the cine-goers laugh. The way they delivered their dialogues was amusing enough. It was after 1980, the level of humour and comedy started declining in Hindi cinema and today, it has hit the nadir. Those who read now defunct 'Punch', a British magazine, known for its intelligent wit and humour, still remember the sophisticated attic humour of the Brits. It was ultra-refined humour that brought a natural smile to the face of the reader. R K Laxman and E P Unny followed the classic legacy of British humour and regaled their readers for decades. In a nutshell, the golden rule for all humourists is: 'Just a little dose of humour / Or else it may turn into a tumour ' (Ogden Nash). ----- July 15 Was Humorist Mujtaba Hussain's Birth Anniversary. ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/humour-conversation/d/132713 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism