Protest humour, in process: ‘Blue material’ comics on the many ways of engaging with caste in comedy

"We wanted to create our own space, where Dalit comics can get enough stage time to explore who they are and express themselves," says Manaal Patil, curator of Blue Material, a standup comedy set led by all Dalit comedians. "Blue Material gives us an incentive and freedom to think about Dalit comedy and we could develop our jokes in-sync with our thoughts," he adds.

Not many had watched a Dalit comedian talk openly about their identity on stage and challenge the upper-caste narrative on reservation with a comedic brilliance until 2020, when Manaal Patil's short clip surfaced on Twitter and was appreciated by many. This was also at a time when the platform was hosting heated debates on caste in Indian comedy and some of India's well-known comedians were called out for the sexist and casteist nature of their jokes.

Since then, a group of comics, including Patil, Manjeet Sarkar, Ravi Gaikwad, Ankur Tangade and Mayur Kamble have emerged as promising comedians who are talking about caste in their jokes, but from the other side, and are touted to be providing a counter-narrative to existing stigma by many.

"The idea is to provide a counter-narrative and not encourage the victimisation of our community in art as done by others. Also, now comedians in the industry have started engaging with the subject, which was nil before," observes Ravi.

In an industry mainly dominated by those who have the privilege and access to buy spots and stage time, blue material is an experimentation to bring in more comics from the community and ease the challenges for them to present what they have got in a safe space. However, a question that remains a focal point of the comics' concern is - does everything about their jokes have to be about caste?, a puzzle they aim to tackle through feedback, observations and consistent learnings.

What's ‘blue' about blue material?

Blue Material gained traction on the internet for two things - for the usage of the word ‘blue', significant to Ambedkarite culture and politics in India and the many expectations of an audience saturated with uniform patterns of mainstream comedy, which largely remained confined to generic jokes on relationships, sex, Indian parents, public transport, neighbourhood uncles and similar Indian society clichés.

While many of the blue material comics mainly explore the same tropes, those that have been working well with the audiences for years now, there is a catch here as their punches bring in a layer of caste, which is reflective of their personal and individual confrontations with caste-based discriminatory practices.

When Ankur jokes about her partner's vegetarian parents not drinking water at their house, she responds, "We are fools to eat mutton (meat) in our tea cups," a line that does not fail to make the audience laugh. Similarly, Ravi's banter with the researchers and journalists, if any, in the audience is his way of commenting on the media's linear way of objectifying Dalits and their stories.

According to Ravi, for the longest time the whole angle of caste in these same jokes or topics existed, but were not addressed by the upper caste comedians. For artists such as Manaal, who was for years discouraged from calling out casteist practices in his jokes, the blue material stage is a chance to explore these points-of-view with their own show.

"Previously, I followed the same style of joking about dating life and other popular subjects. With blue material, I am coming out as a Dalit too and talking about being queer as well. I feel confident to talk about these intersections in a comic way and show people that Dalit life is not all about tragedy," says Ankur.

"My personal rule is I don't want any kind of poverty porn to go out. I want to show that we are having fun with our work and it is happening. At a time when the whole internet is filled with violence against our community, I want to show the other side too," adds Ravi.

While the response to the show has been encouraging among the young audience across communities, the comics have also faced criticism for cracking similar sexist jokes under the tag of Dalit material and not challenging caste in the ways the show proclaims. When asked about what they make of such feedback, Manaal, Ankur and Ravi reiterate that it is a process and there is a consistent effort to figure out the possibilities of their creative humour.

However, Manaal also highlights, "Do other comedians feel compelled to talk about identities? We need to be able to do comedy on all kinds of subjects. Are we here to represent the community? If yes, what does that entail? It is a dilemma we aim to tackle."

Learning to bring in more of Dalit humour

"When we started Blue Material, we were looking for a safe space to express ourselves. With more shows, we are improving ourselves, writing better and have more things to say about our identities and experiences," says Ankur.

Initiating conversations about caste may be one of the objectives of the comedians, but driving a point home requires more than just a funny take on subjects in popular discussion on the internet. As Manaal puts it, the aim is to go beyond the generic and make some conscious effort to bring in tongue in cheek humour and satire that is thought-provoking.

While for Manaal the effort to learn and improvise lies in engaging with Dr Ambedkar's writings and works of other anti-caste artists, scholars and activists, for Ankur it is about looking inward to bring forth the dynamics of inter-caste marriages in modern India, inspired by her parents' experiences.

For Ankur, Manaal and Ravi, the process is now a complex one. One that is riddled with dilemmas, expectations of the audiences, conflicting ideas and a sense of responsibility that comes with talking about caste-based discrimination and stigma in a funny manner. So much so that, the team plans to create a mockumentary, which will reflect their creative approach towards comedy and the nuances they aim to bring in, with jokes of course.

"We are figuring out, are we trying to fit in the existing culture or are we bringing in an alternate culture. While we get there, if our show is triggering a conversation about caste at the dining table, then it's a win. Everything else will happen in the background," says Ravi.

Check out the upcoming Blue Material shows:

Date: November 25, 26 and 27

Venue: Happy High, Delhi

Time: 8 pm

Tickets: bookmyshow

Date: December 4

Venue: Dorangos, Bandra, Mumbai

Time: 7 pm

Tickets: bookmyshow

Also read: Ramesh Shinde's personal library at Goregaon is a treasured wealth of Dr Ambedkar's writings