Prithviraj Dhar @robertbhalla95 - Twitter Profile

over 1 year ago

Standup Comedy thrived in India post 2004. Dr. Manmohan Singh was the key because: 1. The generation and social class that benefited from liberalisation of the 90s grew up to be the voice of the confident new India - demanding accountability and seeing sense of humor as an essential trait of social discourse. 2. Another result of liberalisation - mobile internet became a reality for a huge section of the middle/upper middle classes, giving new, uncensored platforms for a new form of art/humor. 3. His government - like all governments - was flawed, creating enough relatable material to go viral. And they did push back - like introducing the draconian IT Act Sec 66A late in the day. But unlike many other governments of past and future - MMS didn’t practice brutal censorship or punitive action against humour/satire. The entire social media opposed the IT Act or the various acts of alleged corruption/inefficiency without being labelled anti-national or getting r*pe threats. The artists - not just professional standup comedians but big film stars also - felt safe sharing jokes about the govt policies/PM/ministers. A sense of freedom is the biggest incentive artists crave for - and the MMS govt provided that above anything else. Thanks Dr. Saab.

varungrover's tweet photo. Standup Comedy thrived in India post 2004. Dr. Manmohan Singh was the key because:

1. The generation and social class that benefited from liberalisation of the 90s grew up to be the voice of the confident new India - demanding accountability and seeing sense of humor as an essential trait of social discourse.

2. Another result of liberalisation - mobile internet became a reality for a huge section of the middle/upper middle classes, giving new, uncensored platforms for a new form of art/humor.

3. His government - like all governments - was flawed, creating enough relatable material to go viral. And they did push back - like introducing the draconian IT Act Sec 66A late in the day.

But unlike many other governments of past and future - MMS didn’t practice brutal censorship or punitive action against humour/satire. The entire social media opposed the IT Act or the various acts of alleged corruption/inefficiency without being labelled anti-national or getting r*pe threats.

The artists - not just professional standup comedians but big film stars also - felt safe sharing jokes about the govt policies/PM/ministers.

A sense of freedom is the biggest incentive artists crave for - and the MMS govt provided that above anything else.

Thanks Dr. Saab.

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robertBhalla95 retweeted

Vir Das

@thevirdas

over 1 year ago

Dr. Manmohan Singh said that history would remember him kindly. I’m happy to see that’s the case on social media today. He had a sense of humour. Leaders mean different things to different people, I can only speak to my experience. Personally, I remember being in my 20s and doing jokes about him on prime time bulletins at CNBC with our team having been made fully aware his office was watching and we’re okay with it. He was the most powerful man in the country and we were doing jokes about him five nights a week on a mainstream news channel, that weren’t even that great because we were utterly immature. Mind you this wasn’t even on a comedy show but as a part of a 9pm news bulletin that every businessperson in the country watched. Think about how far fetched that seems today. The mark of a truly great, secure, and humble leader, to my profession, is the ability to take a joke. Great leaders understand that’s part of the job, that powerful politicians and jest have always been historically intertwined for centuries, and that taking humour within grace makes them so much greater. A politician who can take a joke is truly powerful, and a politician who can make a joke about themselves is admirable, and invincible. In that respect, he stood tall above any Indian leader in my lifespan. Rest in peace sir 🙏

thevirdas's tweet photo. Dr. Manmohan Singh said that history would remember him kindly. I’m happy to see that’s the case on social media today. He had a sense of humour. Leaders mean different things to different people, I can only speak to my experience. Personally, I remember being in my 20s and doing jokes about him on prime time bulletins at CNBC with our team having been made fully aware his office was watching and we’re okay with it. He was the most powerful man in the country and we were doing jokes about him five nights a week on a mainstream news channel, that weren’t even that great because we were utterly immature. Mind you this wasn’t even on a comedy show but as a part of a 9pm news bulletin that every businessperson in the country watched. Think about how far fetched that seems today. The mark of a truly great, secure, and humble leader, to my profession, is the ability to take a joke. Great leaders understand that’s part of the job, that powerful politicians and jest have always been historically intertwined for centuries, and that taking humour within grace makes them so much greater. A politician who can take a joke is truly powerful, and a politician who can make a joke about themselves is admirable, and invincible. In that respect, he stood tall above any Indian leader in my lifespan. Rest in peace sir 🙏

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Prithviraj Dhar

@robertBhalla95

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