FUNNY-SIDE UP!

By Anuradha Paul

"Human beings, they say, are the only creatures that can laugh, if you don't count the hyena, that is! This little book is intended to tickle one's funny-bone, and generate exactly that - laughter! - The work is, therefore, targeted at a reader with the ability to laugh! And, everyone can, if they choose to! Humour is a stress-buster, the much-n

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ukiyoto Publishing
• Release date: Jan 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9789361720857

Book preview

FUNNY-SIDE UP!

A Cluster of Comic Verses

Anuradha Paul

Ukiyoto Publishing

All global publishing rights are held by

Ukiyoto Publishing

Published in 2023

Content Copyright © Anuradha Paul

ISBN

            Illustration Copyright: Rohan Chakravarty

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated, without the publisher’s prior consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published.

www.ukiyoto.com

Acknowledgements

With deep gratitude to my parents, Arun & Rama Chakrawarti, for introducing me to the works of Bengali humourist-satirist, Sukumar Ray (father of renowned film director, the versatile Satyajit Ray) when I was barely ten years of age, which started me off with trying my poetic abilities, and subsequently, to the works of  Ogden Nash, who I regard as my poetic Guru; to my husband, Sukumar Paul, for his constant encouragement;  to my son, Arnav Paul, for his criticism (that I shouldn’t be writing at all!) and also being the inspiration, though more probably provocation, for many of my poems; to my young niece, Mallika Chakrawarti, who did a fine job of helping me with editing of the blurb; to  Sheetal Korde, my tech-savvy colleague for her unstinted help for my unending online hassles; to my poets’ group of friends for their unrestrained laughter at our poetry-reading sessions, and among them, to the late Dr. V. R. Kanadey, serious poet, who wondered how I managed to write such poems, and his repeated reminders that I publish this. Sad that he didn’t live to see it happen.

Preface

Human beings, they say, are the only creatures that can laugh, if you don’t count the hyena, that is! This little book is intended to tickle your funny-bone and generate exactly that – laughter! Or, well, if not laughter, at least we hope a chuckle or a smile will light up the faces of the readers bogged down by the weight of the tedious realities of a mundane or worrisome world.

I’m happy to find my niche among my local poets’ group, which is always agog for what’s coming next from me; particularly when reading between two terribly serious poets, lighter-veined poetry comes as the much-awaited comic relief!

Humour is not a subject, but perhaps a perspective, a way of looking at things. In fact, when things get too gloomy or serious, the ability of viewing things jocularly is all you have left to lighten the load.  While the poems here can generally be categorized as humorous, they are a medley of fun, nonsensical, satirical and tongue-in-cheek verses. I’ve taken a bit of poetic licence too, and played around with the words and coined them too.

Rohan Chakravarty, 35-year old wildlife cartoonist and illustrator, ex-dentist,