Rahul Gaur, a Gurgaon-based marketing professional, nourishes his soul with literature. He hosts the literary podcast Majhdhaar, is author of the poetry collection TEEN CHAVANNI, KUL PACHHATTAR, and contributes to newspapers and anthologies.

In his essay, ‘Irritants of the Benevolent Kind’, featured in THE BARE BONES BOOK OF HUMOUR, a frustrated common man takes incisive digs at Indian city life.

The anthology’s editor Ankit Raj Ojha interviewed him about the quiet power of everyday observation.

Tell us about your perspective on humour and its place in writing and in life.

Life is not always fair. Neither is it always logical. If there is one thing which carries you through all its beautiful absurdities and painful inevitabilities, it is humour. One should be able to find it within oneself or without. 

Indian tradition talks of nav-rasas or nine primary emotions in art forms, each one being equally important. Let me borrow from Orwell and proclaim that out of these nine, one is certainly more equal than others—hasya ras or humour. Be it writing or any other art form, creating humour is certainly no joke. 

What are the things, works, and authors that have influenced your writing? 

In humour, I have read a lot of P.G. Wodehouse, Harishankar Parsai, and Shrilal Shukla (RAAG DARBAARI), who are the masters. I have this audacious wish of attempting to write like them. 

Humour and witticism coming from ordinary people around in everyday life never ceases to amaze and inspire me. 

Is there any image, phrase, idea, place, person, or memory that became the seed for ‘Irritants of the Benevolent Kind’? 

The surfeit of idiocies we encounter in everyday modern life is the bedrock of my article. I felt inspired to create at least a “beware” list if not an SOP of sorts for both—the ones inflicting and the others tolerating them.