Page 59 - 28FEB2019E

Book review

Shall we laugh or cry NRIs in Modison Square Gardens,
When our PM-ji started wooing

in the timeS we live in? comics came up with one-liners about
him soon becoming an NRI. Before
they could think of a second — liner, he
began to resemble a Gujarati tour
operator’s advertisement (complete
The anthology — Jest like that —carries fun-cum-humour with ‘own cook’), and the stand-
stories centering around everyday life, writes humra quraishi ups had to back down, deprived of
easy-funny.”
Stories of some writers in
this anthology are indeed off
beat and funny, others are
still struggling, trying to make
us laugh or even smile or
smirk. As Bachi says, “Writ-
ing humour is easier advised
than executed, you might
grumble as you struggle to

Jest Like
that
By Shinie Antony
AttA GAlAttA
188 pp; 275

hy I picked up this for several of the who’s who, from the
recently launched world of writers, have come up with summon the pithy-witty. Alas, yes. If
book to read? hilarious tales….Perhaps, the most you forgive the insensitive analogy,
Three definite hitting is Bachi Karkaria’s ‘Last Word’, a sense of humour is a bit like can-
reasons. Foremost, where she writes- “We don’t know cer. Not because it grows on you, but
W its title — Jest Like whether to laugh or cry in the times we because either you have it or you don’t.
That - looked rather offbeat and with live in. Like the disease, your genes predispose
that more than beckoned. Together The hourly news throws up a never- you to it; the diet of funny writers you
with that, even the publisher’s name before trove of OTT politicians, insane read feeds it; and it thrives on all the
— Atta Galatta — seemed more than senas and an assortment of pompous pollutants in the environment that
offbeat and different. Above all, with and circumstance. Its all readymade I have mentioned the start. You can
Shinie Antony compiling and editing for puncturing, so humour writers square that circle as you wish.”
it, it simply has to be readable; after all, have it really easy, right? Wrong, for Before I end my review, I have got to
she delves deep into human emotions the very same reason. Real life itself say that this anthology disappoints on
whilst writing those long and short has become such a caricature that its one definite front — the layout could
stories, bringing to the fore touching becoming more and more difficult to have been paid attention to. Also, the
aspects. extend it further into a spoof. cover could have been more hitting
And as the very title relays, this When this gau raksha business be- and catchy. There’s a lack of the come-
anthology carries fun-cum-jest-cum- gan to be milked by vested interests, we hither look to the cover. It should have
humour stories centering around could have joked that soon cows will been provocative enough to tickle if
everyday life. And if one was under be protected better than people. Before not anything else! Anyway, awaiting
the impression that our Indian writers you could say ‘Brahman bull’, it was no for the next humour book!
write only along the routine sullen and longer a joke. In fact it was distinctly
subdued strain then stand corrected, unfunny. Or take another example. letters@tehelka.com

Tehelka / 28 february 2019 59 www.Tehelka.com