Review of ‘Happy Go Funny: The Lighter Moments of Life’

Khyrunnisa A. does it again, with aplomb, in her ‘follow-up offering’ to her earlier bestselling book Tongue in Cheek: The Funny Side of Life that has been charming adult readers since its publication in 2019. Aptly titled Happy Go Funny: The Lighter Moments of Life (Westland), Khyrunnisa’s third book for adults is another rib-tickling compilation of anecdotes encapsulating the daily travails and mishaps in a city dweller’s life.

Brevity is the soul of wit and the author never loses sight of this adage as she narrates the tales, mostly autobiographical, of an urban woman bungling her way through life. Every episode is spiced with generous dollops of humour, both laugh-out-loud and subtle. Humour as a genre is perhaps a rarity in Indian writing in English. Khyrunnisa’s ability as a writer lies in her remarkable power of observation and the genial, witty and thought-provoking manner in which she pokes fun at human foibles. The humour arises naturally from situations where the awkward and the absurd happen unexpectedly. 

As the author goes about her task of juxtaposing ‘the momentous with the momentary’, we embark on a roller coaster ride of fun. Every page crackles with laughter as the characters navigate the twists and turns of everyday life. The book is divided into sections, and the stories in every section, often narrated with self-deprecating humour, are at once relatable and thoroughly enjoyable. Autorickshaw drivers, electricians, doctors, lawyers, babies, kittens, rats and monkeys rub shoulders with the revered Mahabali, the distinguished Earl of Sandwich, the sagacious Karl Marx and the invisible Gurkha.

The glitches in her life sometimes happen within the four walls of her home, the kitchen often being the setting for those crazy incidents we can all relate to. Then there is the great outdoors as well: visits to the doctor, friends, acquaintances, holiday destinations, weddings. The new diet fads, the mobile phone era, the computer glitches with the dreaded ‘system down’ syndrome—all figure in the hilarious misadventures of the hapless protagonist.

The short narratives move at a balanced pace, holding our interest and never lagging. The build-up to the climax is quick and the denouement leaves us chuckling out aloud. Khyrunnisa’s love for the English language and her skill in using it are evident in the word play that enlivens her writing. Literary references, quotations, puns, metaphors, similes and the clever turn of phrase all help to generate and maintain the engaging, playful and entertaining nature of the narrative. To quote just one example, she describes the sounds her croaking, dying mobile phone makes … ‘as if a bad-tempered banshee was engaged in a slanging match with an incensed rooster’. 

In her gentle, humane way, the author also subtly draws our attention to some of our foibles as the populace of a nation and reminds us that there is room for improvement. Cultural observations and historical facts are humorously woven into her stories when she speaks about telegrams, matrimonial ads, the indiscriminate use of ‘Ok’ in speech, the place of the sandwich in popular cuisine and so on. The disgusting habit of spitting in public spaces, the noisy honking on roads, our lack of basic etiquette in using lifts, the apathy towards the hapless pedestrians on the street—all these are addressed in her witty, inimitable style.

Happy Go Funny has something for every reader.  In an increasingly unstable world with its myriad problems, laughter is perhaps not just the best medicine, it is our only solace. This book is perfect to chase the blues away.  

(Anuradha Krishnakumar is an avid reader and a lover of literature)