Raju Srivastav: A Seriously Funny Man

In order to maintain fine health, it is important to have perfect synchronisation between the mind, body and spirit. Shakespeare remarked, “Laugh away your blues”, hence humour and comedy is essential for a wonderful life which is short and momentary. It is believed that laughter is the best medicine to cure all illnesses, particularly psychosomatic ailments, and also enhances complete blood circulation in the body. Here I would like to draw your attention to India’s most funny man, Raju Srivastav, who left for his heavenly abode after battling for his life for more than a month at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. Raju suffered a heart attack on 10 August while he was at the gym; he underwent an angioplasty and was kept on a ventilator for a long time, and did not regain consciousness. While he entertained the whole world with his reality-based humour, it is sad he had to make an early exit at the age of 58.
Satya Prakash Srivastava, popularly known as Raju Srivastav, was an acclaimed comedian, actor and politician. Born on 25 December 1963 in Kanpur to Ramesh Chandra and Saraswati Srivastav, Raju developed a passion for acting and mimicry at an early age, often imitating his friends and relatives with a comic touch. During his formative days, while in school, he used to wonder why a particular guy would attract the attention of girls. With his humorous anecdotes, he felt that he too was capable of this. He started imitating his teachers, especially a teacher who was a goiter patient who could hardly move his head. A complaint reached the principal and Raju was summoned to his office. The young Raju imitated the teacher again in the presence of the principal. He was pardoned for his act and let off. But Raju’s parents were disgusted with their son as he was not serious about anything. His friends suggested that he try to act in films in the city of dreams — Mumbai.

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Guru Vijay Shanker is a professional Kuchipudi-Kathakali exponent, actor, choreographer and arts critic for more than four decades.