Hansi Ke Favvare 2007 – Unifying Indians through Laughter

Commons halls of Meadow Creek High School, Norcross, 21st Jul 2007

A Saturday evening filled with laughter, national pride, and delicious food! A Hasya Kavi Sammelan organized by Sewa International, a non-profit volunteer organization guaranteed all three. Aptly titled Hansi ke favvare (Fountains of Laughter), the program featured stand-up comic acts in Hindi by poets of the hasya-vyangya ras (humor and satire) and Veer ras (patriotic) genre. The program, featuring eminent Hindi kavis Gajendra Solanki and Manik Verma, attracted Hindi lovers across Atlanta. A 300 strong audience thoroughly enjoyed the program, which boasted free entry for all.

The program started at 4.00 p.m. with salutation and offerings to Goddess Saravasti – the universal force of light, pure effulgence and knowledge. The show gathered momentum as Gajendra Solanki took the stage..

Solankiji is a young, upcoming poet and has created an eminent place among the elite kavis in India. He is a patriotic kavi and his poems reflect his personality. One by one, his poetic jokes targeted perils of married life, inflation, affinity for corruption, and other socio-economic phenomena in India. His dynamic voice and infectious smile left the audience asking for more.

After hearing the light-hearted humor of Solankiji, it was now time for some hard hitting satire from poet Manik Verma. Manik Verma is a prominent Hindi kavi well known for his Comedy and Political satire. He dished out a string of hilarious verses featuring Indian political figures, all the way from the Prime Minister to opposition leaders, topped off with a poem showcasing the talents and abilities of Laloo Prasad Yadav.

Time flew by as the audience clapped heartily and laughed with each dose of side-splitting lines. Soon it was time for a break as the audience, already full with laughter, were served with a mouth-watering snacks of kachoris, bhel puri and tea.

With their appetites for laughter still asking for more, the audience returned to their seats for another round of uproarious performances. Manik Verma took the stage again, but instead of rendering one of his own acts, he surprised the audience by announcing that there was another poet in their midst who would come on stage. He introduced Mr. Dewedy, who had come to enjoy the show as a viewer but once his secret as a poet was uncovered, was invited to take the stage. Mr. Dewedy started off with a couple of cheery verses, followed by a thought-provoking message in the form of a railway station’s life story, which turned out to be a metaphor establishing how action, and not inaction, is the necessity for success in life.

The program took on a more patriotic mood

as Solankiji enthralled the audience with a

poem cherishing the Hindi language and its

unifying, everlasting appeal. Vermaji

provided some more laughs with a piece on

contradictory newspaper headlines. He

appealed to the audience to take to

heart his final message, presented as a

poetic conversation between a tree and an

axe, leading into the issue of environment

conservation and concluding as a call for

national unity. His sincerity and unwavering

enthusiasm left no one untouched.

The event was concluded at 8:00p.m with thunderous Bharat Mata Ki Jais, followed by thank you notes to the featuring poets, sponsors of the event (Jeetan Singh, icoachmath.com and Srikant Konda, Semafor Technologies), and Sewa International’s volunteer team. A sumptuous homemade dinner of puris, chhole and masala rice was enjoyed by everyone before leaving.

Events like this are a bridge between society and literature. But SEWA Atlanta's event was more than an evening of laughter or a nostalgia filled trip to the motherland. The proceeds and donations from the event are donated to agencies in India to fund educational and literacy projects in India. The ideology of Sewa International is “Nar Sewa, Narayan Sewa” – to serve humanity is to serve God. For further information about Sewa International’s activities, contact Gaurav Verma at gaurav_verma22@yahoo.com. We look forward to having you at our future events!

-Chintanika Desai