Yesterday, the first Sunday of May is celebrated as World Laughter Day. It is a day dedicated to humour, a much needed respite in a world which often, unfortunately, is marked by bleak news thanks to the spiral of everyday violence we seem to be caught up in.

Laughter clubs across the city marked the day with zest, adding some punch to their morning programmes. It is time Indians broke the traditional stereotype, which does have some truth, about not being good at humour either in our art movies, books and television, or generally in our lives.