Worried about ‘decline’ in stand-up quality, RSS cultural wing seeks to ‘reestablish Indian values in comedy’

Logo of Sanskar Bharti. Photo: X/@Sanskar_Bharati

Amid the ongoing row over comedian Kunal Kamra’s satire targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the cultural wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) has passed a resolution on the need to “re-establish Indian values in comedy genres”.

Sanskar Bharti, which works to promote Indian art forms, expressed deep concern over the declining level of performance and content in stand-up and other comedy forms in recent times. The resolution was passed at its annual management meeting held on April 11.

“Satirical stories of folk traditions like Theri Kutta, Tamasha, Jatra, Swang Bhaand, Nautanki etc. or the satirical style of contemporary literature, humour in all has inspired the public towards self-introspection, dialogue and improvement. In the current context, stand-up comedy has emerged as a new form of modern expression of this tradition. Humor-based content broadcast on digital media is rapidly attracting the youth. However, in recent years, a decline has been observed in the level of presentation and content of this medium,” the resolution said.

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‘Platform to mock religious, national values’

It added that while this medium could be a tool for strong social reforms, it is actually becoming a race for a “shortcut to fame”.

“Stand-up comedy is rapidly becoming a platform for indecent language, religion, caste, gender insensitivity and contempt of national values. Under the guise of freedom of expression, many artists intentionally or unintentionally try to gain popularity by mocking religious symbols, [engaging in] satirical criticism of national heroes, or making fun of social practices,” said the Sanskar Bharti.

It condemned stand-up comedy shows which try to garner laughter using abusive, sexual, or communal language. This trend weakens the sensitivity, tolerance and cultural respect of a young audience, the RSS cultural arm warned.