Laughter in Gujarati poetry.

- Window seat-Udayan Thakkar

- Gujarati poets have not taken humor seriously, have created little in it. Some compositions contain laughter but are not humorous, i.e. laughter but not poetry

Tayacharya Bharatamuni is considered the originator of the Rasa sect. Main Rasas Nine: Shrungar, Karuna, Raudra, Veer, Wonderful, Nasty, Terrible, Laughter and Calm. Bharatamuni says that rasa is the essence of drama (or poetry) which the audience (or reader) feels supremely happy by relishing. Gujarati poets have not taken humor seriously, have created little in it. Some compositions contain laughter but are not humorous, i.e. laughter but not poetry.

Let's start with folk songs. Women sing patanas in samsa while sitting in the wedding hall

I have an angan lake

Splashing water

Vevan lapti came

Its bittersweet

Round the boy round the round

Its bittersweet

Gave a lap against the gourd

Its bittersweet

Vevan who carries his daughter like a golden cricket is ridiculed here. The laughter of the folk song is not always unmitigated, providing an outlet for women to express their grief. Meghani quotes Kajoda's folk song in 'Radhiyali Raat':

Kankodi in kachadi and water in wadki

The groom sat down to take a bath

Samdi took the strain

Why do red!

The folklore of Kutch-Kathiawad is resounding. Duhagir completes the poem with metaphor, irony and alliteration.

went to play nonghanvadar'

Tai Zamku Fui knew,

A rug was given among the three

We spent the night.

Good Village Sarvedi, Ne

Padr Zaza Well,

Bayo Atli Bhaktani, Ne

People are so bad.

Narsingh Mehta had two splits: Dayaram split the Sringar split and Akha split the Jnanavairagya split. Akha did not write poetry for the sake of poetry, he used sarcasm for social reform.

Blind father-in-law and father-in-law

He continued to listen to the story

said something understood nothing,

Eye shadow rubbed on the cheek.

Burst the deep well,

Learned-heard survey folk.

Premananda exploits pranks, tropes, mockery, sarcasm, irony, exaggeration, all materials for humor. Take the example of his 'Nalakhyan'. King Tuparna leaves for Damayanti's Swayamvar. Its charioteer is (in part) Nala Swayam. Tuparna pleads with Bahuk- full speed of the chariot!

Many days came to work

Shame on you

Get married Damayanti

Going to Vaidarbha today

Tuparna says, your wife married me... how dramatic Ireni!

Dalpatram, the great creator of comic poetry in the archaic era. He became a favorite among children and adults with proverbs, wits, witty sayings. There is no bitterness in the laughter of this Thawka poet. His short poems composed in beautiful verse have not been forgotten even after all these years. A recluse practiced music for seven years. Some Seth Sanmukh recited Ragragini. What happened then?

Say after Dalpat

Said the miser Sheth,

'You are not worthy of a singer

Phogat is swollen. It is said that there is half of it

What did you do? If you play Sambelo, I will

Know that you are wise.'

In the mid-twentieth century, laughter was everywhere. It is 'Hazal', a comic poem composed by keeping the rhyming-kafia-verses of Ghazal. Listen Hazalsamrat Bakar's Muktak:

He eats biscuits along with dal

What does your father have to do with it?

What about narrow vision?

East-West unity takes place

Naz Mangroli was the sheriff of Mumbai. Presenting them, Jyotindra Dave said, 'Now comes the Lizard in Naaz!' Muktak of Naz:

By my old age!

My O fateful!

Are you impatient?

There is nothing wrong with you

Stay for four months

in your belly,

In this month's budget

No expense spared!

A father has to beg his son not to be born - what a pity! NJ Golibar, editor of 'Chakram' magazine has told some successful jokes:

Health is the fodder of love

going crazy,

Make me wish now

The record is about to be broken.

I with water before

Read it after gutting

Written on the bottle

'The medicine is to lick this!'

One of the epitaphs written by Mast Habib Sarodi: (A poem engraved on a tomb)

He who sleeps in this grave

A famous named Hakeem

Who is rooted in wisdom

show good deeds,

His wisdom, wisdom

Thank you for this

As seen here

A new grave for you

Following Mast Habib, Mukul Choksi has also composed tombstones. See his satire on prolific creator Nathalal Dave:

This is sliding from your mouth

Amizrati romance

Even in the grave, Suni is released

There have been many heads

The more desolate of these taxes

Let alone doing

No more songs from the grave

Cheer up, Natha!

Do you call it funny or ugly after listening to the songs? The uniqueness and limitation of Lalit Verma's jokes is that he has only created comical compositions of married life:

Fingers run through hair

Tangled Julf in a mango net

Lalit is spoiling his mouth today

Do you see a lot of hair in the dal?

Pardi is a satirical copy of the original poem. No. Buch wrote this haiku about haiku overwriting:

All haiku

Hi Makun I went to Rai

I nodded

Let's conclude with the Duha of Dalpatram:

Laughter is like that

Don't insult anyone

Who laughed?

So laughing is better than barking