Video Editors: Rahul Sanpui and Ashish Maccune
Two budding comedians, Shivangi and Sweta from Delhi’s Canvas Laugh Club, share what it takes to crack jokes about disability for a largely able-bodied audience.
When people ask me “What Happened to you?”, I sometimes reply saying that I fell from Burj Khalifa and survived.Shivangi Agrawal, Poet and Social Activist
Sweta who performed her first set in December 2016, is now a regular performer in Pune and performed for the first time at Canvas Club, DLF Cyber Hub Gurgaon in an event organised by Inclov. Another artiste, Shivangi, who has equally quirkier take on disability said:
Further she adds,
I don’t think disability is a constraint at all, but I still present that visual statement for people.Shivangi Agrawal, Poet and Social Activist
Shivangi who’s also an activist says, “the very fact that people think disabled people need sympathy all the time gives what we use frequently to create humour in our performances.”
First timers at Canvas Laugh Club, Shivangi and Sweta ensured that the audience cracked up as they broke myths and stereotypes on being differently-abled. “But we also keep in mind that we don’t cross the line”, adds Sweta.
We as representatives of the specially-abled community, have a responsibility and we make sure that while we do comedy, no one is offended by the content we perform.Sweta Mantrii, Stand-Up Artiste
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