India, Aug. 24 -- The constant hilarity of life's goings-on is totally lost on us. So embroiled are we in the struggles, machinations, pulls, pressures, expectations and above all, in the never-ending-ness of the attempted fulfilment of our unclear roles, that we are seldom able to see the funny side of it.

A cartoonist, a satirist, a witty smart-alec, a comic, a humour author: these are the ones who necessarily or otherwise must look upon life as an entertaining show. The rest of us have to grin and bear it or we can simply keep grimacing our way through the futility of it all.

Take the present scenario, for instance. If it weren't for wars, conflicts, oafs in the saddle, epidemics, climate change, pathetic political discourses, strain...