Have A Laugh My Friend Stinging with Love Collection of Prem Janmejay Satires

Book excerpt: R. K. Laxman immortalised the common man in his cartoons. Prem Janmejay's protagonist Radhelal is very similar to him. Like the average Indian, he does not understand much about the game of cricket but feels sad when the Indian team loses an international match and cheers up when it emerges victorious. Through him the satirist depicts the absurdity of cricket mania among those who look at the game more as a status symbol than anything else. Through Radhelal, the satirist takes a critical look at many of the things that trouble society, the overpowering effect of social media being one of them. However, Radhelal is not the only protagonist of this selection. Janmejay is careful to retain variety and therefore introduces a number of characters so that the perspective remains varied and the reader moves from one article to another, without complaining of monotony. The author confines his interest to urban topics, his favourites being politics and corruption. The language is simple; humour is conveyed through puns and skilful use of language.