Have you noticed how the silliest of things can have a person in splits, while more genuinely funny incidents are greeted by an expression most resembling a stuffed fish? What tickles each person’s funny bone remains one of the world’s greatest unsolved mysteries. The medium of the joke can also shift its position in the humour scale, or at least affect the responses. I for one tend to laugh out loud a lot more during conversations, even for the stupidest of PJs. In print though, even the funniest of cartoons like Calvin, and the undoubted master of wit Wodehouse himself, only manages to elicit a small smile and an occasional ‘heh’ for the outrageously hilarious bits. Its not that I think they’re not amusing- far from it really. While reading, or even watching a funny movie, I’m roaring with laughter inside my head, while wearing a silly smile on my otherwise impassive face. If I happen to discuss either with someone else though, I end up laughing till my sides ache. It’s a rum thing. There are others though, like my mum, who goes into fits of unstoppable giggles every time she reads and re-reads a Wodehouse. She then insists on regaling us with an excerpt, lavishly interspersed with sudden outbursts of red faced laughs, while tears stream down her face.
Then there are those who laugh for no perceivable reason at all, usually attributed to some remembrance of an old joke, a distant association with a humorous incident, or strains of insanity! The probability of this occurring increases tenfold when you’re with a friend who’s as silly (or more so) as you are. Of late, my hysterical friend and I have been spending a considerable portion of our waking hours laughing maniacally like a couple of kooky hyenas. This is fine if we happen to be at home, or some random place where nobody knows us. We just happened to pick the worst possible place for a fit of giggles- a quiet lab in IIT madras, chock-full of geniuses and prodigies, serious iitians, and brilliant interns – all of whom have mammoth brains and eccentric characteristics. The latter is usually the cause of our frequent outbursts, which draws every bespectacled eye to us, while we try to make ourselves invisible. After a disapproving frown and a glare, they return their attentions to their algorithms and security proofs, while we rush outside so we can laugh unrestrainedly. During lunch again, my friend randomly begins laughing hysterically for absolutely no reason at all, her laugh being very infectious, I join her, while our other friends look on perplexedly wondering what they’d done to trigger such an outburst, .. and delicately edging themselves and their plates as far away from us as possible. The worst ever episode of our laugh-a-thon occurred a couple of days back, while returning to the lab after lunch. We were in high spirits, and got into the elevator along with four strangers. One of them was a weird looking female, who once began making the funniest of faces at a guy- who was pointedly ignoring her. I studiously kept my head down, as my lips curved into an involuntary smile. From behind me, I heard two loud snorts of laughter, and fought even more to keep a straight face as everyone turned to look at my now purple-in-the-face friend. The moment the lift doors slid open, we shot out,- walking determinedly toward the lab, I turned around, and found that my stupid friend had vanished. I walked back looking for her, and saw her hiding in a little alcove, half crouching, collapsing with mirth, and clinging on to the wall for support! Not surprisingly, it took about half a second before I dissolved into laughter as well. Into this scene of cheer walked two of the guys from the elevator, took one look at us, and ran for their lives. This of course was reason enough for a fresh outburst from the two of us. Finally, clutching our sides, and wheezing painfully, we walked back.. and who do we see, but the same kook of a girl again. Words fail me, too many tears dripping down my face onto my poor lappie.
