The soul can never be cut into pieces by any weapon, nor can he be burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind ~ Bhagavad Gita 2.23
Bhagavad-Gita talks about self-realization, the material body and the spirit soul, as explained by Krishna. This realization is made possible by working with the fruitive being situated in the fixed conception of the real self. Krishna explains to Arjuna that all kinds of weapons, swords, flames, rains, tornadoes, etc., are unable to kill the spirit soul, the soul can never be cut into pieces, nor annihilated by any number of weapons. Possibly the reason why the Kashmiri Pandit ‘soul’ could not be exiled!
In the most unexpected of tragic circumstances have evolved the most reliant ‘survival kits’, in exile have comedians turned to humour for solace, humour has resonated across man-made boundaries of politics and war. While longing for homeland and witnessing horrors of migration, many Kashmiri Pandit artists through their absurdities have entertained and provided succor to the wounded hearts, thus reiterating the social significance of laughter. Even delivering serious messages through humour and helping connect with the dejected and disgruntled, keeping the ‘soul’ alive when everything else seemed to be ‘dead’.
Unsurprisingly the exiled artist Anil Kaul ‘Chingari’ originally from the village Utrasu in Anantnag chose comedy and satire to keep the self ‘indestructible’ and the soul ‘nourished’; perhaps to mask the ‘sorrow’ as well.
My banter with him was like a kaleidoscope of tragicomedy, in some parts I broke into hysterical giggles and in some I bit my lip purely to avoid asking unpleasant questions. Memories are an important component of understanding a person’s life, but I deliberately suppressed my curiosity, though partially. Our exodus is so intricately woven into our existence that you could inadvertently touch a raw nerve and digress from the purpose of the conversation.
“Why the ‘takhalus’ (pen name) Chingari ?” Clearly Anil’s response to even an innocuous query had to be funny!
“ As a kid I would blabber ‘changri dree’ instead of ‘chaeen dree’ (swear by you) which somehow got translated to ‘Chingari’ and it became a tag, rather was mistaken as my surname. That’s it, this spark created a ruckus, people thought there was chingari (spark) in my talent”
The youngest among 4 siblings, Anil was 5 years old during the exodus of 1990. He was packed off to Jammu along the rest of the family members, but his father chose to stay back until a Kashmiri Pandit known to the family was kidnapped and killed by militants in 1992. His father landed in Jammu and passed away untimely due to a heart attack in 1993. Thus started another saga of hardships; as though the initial days at Geeta Bhawan followed by shelter in tents of Purkhu were not catastrophic enough. This state continued for 5 years till his widow mother was allocated the low ceiling dome shaped, uninhabitable quarters and she moved in there with her 4 sons.
“We were 4 brothers and I was still quite young, my oldest brother became my father. Our house in Kashmir had been burned down and whatever little was left was sold for peanuts. Being the youngest I was relatively privileged, my brother ensured I study at a private school in Jammu.”
As they say throughout his life, Krishna donned many avatars but the smile on his face was perpetual, which in itself is a great teaching. He celebrated both victory and defeat, life and death and the smile stayed, it was eternal.
“ There were no actors/writers/singers in the family. Since childhood I would observe and imitate people — friends, relatives, passerby’s, anyone and everyone.”
This talent eventually turned into a passion for acting and then became more focussed on comedy. From live shows at school and college, to performing for para military forces to becoming a Doordarshan approved TV artist, to working with Jaspal Bhatti, with Sudesh Berry, to speaking 14 languages including Dogri, Nepali, Bhojpuri, Kashmiri, Urdu, Gujarati, to performing for J&K tourism department and doing a Neutrogena promotion with Karan Johar and Kareena Kapoor and numerous shows, the journey has been rewarding and enlightening.
You don’t become a comedian just because you are gifted with a sense of humour. You observe and absorb everything around you, you spend hours, months and years honing your craft, you learn to accept rejection, you watch the audience — their responses, and you keep improving your skills.
You “laugh away your pain” literally and figuratively, your comedy is not for the faint hearted, your colloquialism may be unrefined, your realism harsh. You may belittle yourself through your craft and have fun at your own expense, you may display agony in jest, you may be conquering your own demons yet demonstrate a great ability to point out the great truths of life and reflect them back to the world in the most entertaining way.
Anil lost his father when he was very young and tragically his oldest brother who was few days away from getting married passed away in 2012 (I could not muster the courage to ask ‘how’).
As Charlie Chaplin said “To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain and play with it.” Anil has been a big fan of Charlie Chaplin in addition to Jaspal Bhatti and Kashmiri comedians including Shadi Lal, Makhan Lal Saraf and Seth Rafi to name a few.
“You are married, right?” The response understandably had to be amusing!
“You think I would have had the freedom to speak had I been married?” (I laughed and chose to prod for an answer) “Actually my wife and I got married the same day in 2016 , ‘kunni lagan’ (same nuptials)! I have a 2 year old son. I must tell you on my own ‘Mehndiraat’ (Henna ceremony) I was performing in Abhinav Theatre, Jammu. I was in full form oblivious to the guests waiting at home till someone came on the stage and reminded me ‘aaz maa chav tohee maenzraath aesi ti chu saal’ (It’s your Mehndiraat tonight and we have been invited as well)”
Anil was doing well in television and theatre, he was carving a niche for himself in Mumbai and ideally would have loved to pursue his passion, but family circumstances put him at a crossroads. He decided to take up a Government job in J&K PDD department. He has no regrets, he wanted to be near his mother who had already lost a young son. He is based in Anantnag and takes his mother often to Kashmir and with her relives the nostalgia of his village which boasts of the Uma Devi temple, Achabal Baag, Vivekananda Ashram and many scenic spots.
The grace and modesty with which he has placed his aspirations on the back burner speaks volumes about his pliability and sense of responsibility. The comedy nevertheless continues which makes me delve deeper into and visualize the loneliness of someone who was once just another migrant — exiled and alienated; with faint or no memory of his home, taking refuge in humour; laughing even under the direst of tribulations. And then relocating to the very same hometown in a different time and era, different environment and circumstances. What does he feel? How does he feel?
“Through my comedy I convey social as well as political messages, this is my way of showing our existence, that we are a part and parcel of Kashmir. There is no place for hate, I believe you disrespect God if you hate his creation. I love to communicate with people and would not hesitate to point out what is wrong.”
He believes he is able to achieve this with the heavenly blessings of his father Late Shri. Jia Lal Koul and his brother Late. Shri. Vinoo Ji Koul.
A strong proponent of ‘Laughter Therapy’ Anil has taken a stand. He sincerely believes in the healing power of humour. He would rather mobilize the masses through laughter and infuse hope and optimism where people have lost faith. With the advent of digital media this has become even more doable. He can incorporate his personal struggles into his performances, he can be a storyteller and highlight social issues in a funny way, his punch lines can be hard hitting yet amusing. He is passionate about Cricket and has played matches both in Jammu as well as Kashmir, even plays for social causes such as drug addiction, stress management, also to promote Kashmiri language and culture through cricket AND he has performed comedy on the Cricket field as well.
In many ways Anil is a harbinger of social change he may use comedy as a tool for persuasion but not without genuine entertainment. He ensures the message is put across without compromising on the comic aspect. He may well be a comic-activist in his own right.
Amid the doses of laughter one catches the glimpse of a sensitive human, more so when summarising in his own words the motivation behind choosing comedy.
“ Pathar paani meh na phenko usse koi aur bhee peeta hai
Zindagi jeeni hai tou usse haskar jio, kyunki aapko dekh koi aur bhee jeeta hai”
The young man from Utrasu may have lost and found a great deal in life but his funny bone stays intact hence becoming his strength and his medium to connect with the world.
For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his very mind will be the greatest enemy ~ Bhagavad Gita 6.6
Recently Anil was interviewed on FUN AUR FUNKAAR with IRFAN FAZIL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUnFPvLzQgA
~References:
*Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is — A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1986). Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
* Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead — A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
~ Pictures Credit: Anil Koul Chingari
© Jheelaf Parimu
