Laughing away Metro blues

Laughing away Metro blues

By Shashwathi Bhanukumar
Posted On Monday, November 03, 2008

Heee! Heee! Hooo! Hooo! Every morning between 6.30 and 7.30 on RV Road, one can hear roars of laughter from a motley bunch of men and women - an exercise they’ve been performing for years to beat stress.

Capt Prabhakar, the founder of the Jayanagar Laughter Club, injected ‘laughing sickness’ into the members.

“Most people come here to de-stress. So much so that it has become a routine for members to gather at the same spot everyday and laugh their hearts out,” says the laughing brigade’s commander.

The laugh riot by the Laughter Club, however, may be cut short abruptly by the Metro Rail project, which is designed to pass through R V Road and might result in the boulevard on either side of the road being removed to make way for it.

But they are undaunted. “Ha! Ha! Ha! It’s all for the sake of development,” say the members.

The club has become their second home. After all, they’ve been meeting at the same place and laughing their hearts out for eight long years.

Prabhakar, however, wishes the Metro Rail had taken a different route and not chug into the RV Road stretch.

Mukta Shenoy, a member, sounded philosophical. “To gain something, we need to lose something. If we have to move out, we will, because Metro Rail is important for the development of our city.”

Lakshman Rao T K, another member, echoed the same thought, “Metro Rail work is inevitable for development. We are ready to shift, if need be.”

While the members have sworn not to stop laughing, they could not hide their disappointment. For the RV Road stretch is a beautiful sight to behold with trees on either side forming a boulevard.

“I wish this road remains as it is. It is sad the trees will have to make way,” says Capt Prabhakar.

Ramakrishnan, a tax consultant and a member, said, “It is disturbing to see that trees will be felled, but there is no alternative.”

But the members are determined. They will continue to meet and get on with their laughter sessions, but at a different venue. Says Capt Prabhakar, “This is one place where members get to do what they want to do as all of them know each other very well. We are all like brothers and sisters.”

As Jayamma Ramegowda,a member, put it, “We may change the venue, but wewill not stop laughing or switch loyalty.”
When B N Vijayakumar, Jayanagar MLA, was asked where people will meet and laugh once the Metro Rail comes up, he said, “Why do we need parks when we can laugh even on the road; even I’ll join you in that.”