Boy meets world

What happens when a small town lad is suddenly exposed to city life? Its liberating and amusing, says stand-up comedian Praveen Kumar

If you thought living in a metro was tough, growing up in a peaceful town isn’t any better. This pain gets heightened if you are thrown into the fast-moving craziness of city life, soon after that. “It’s almost a culture shock,” says comedian Praveen Kumar. His new stand-up show, Orthodoxically Me, revolves around amusing and laugh-worthy experiences of coming to terms with living in Bengaluru, after shifting from his hometown Kancheepuram as a teenager.

“Life was simple in my town. Everyone knew everyone, so the margin of committing errors was very, very small,” says Kumar. “We didn’t have supermarkets, star hotels, roads, cars etc. If by chance, onions and tomatoes were available in the same place, we called it a supermarket,” he jokes.

Then, in 2003, Kumar moved to Bengaluru to study at BITS Pilani. And the “studious and obedient” boy was suddenly shocked out of his wits. “It’s totally different to live in a metro, especially after living all your life in a small town.
The culture, traffic, of people you meet — everything is different,” he says. “In Bengaluru, the auto drivers and shopkeepers speak English. In Kancheepuram, even the English teachers never spoke the language,” he recalls.

And, while Bengaluru is now home to the comedian, he has decided to sum up his 13-year experience in an hour-long show, just for laughs. “I compiled all my experiences and observations from an orthodox person’s point of view,” he says. And just for the record, the stories are more than funny. “lf the jeans are not falling down, my parents would say ‘it’s probably because of his parents’ good deeds,’” says Kumar. Ok now, that’s funny!

When: September 18, 6 PM
Where: Canvas Laugh Club, 3rd Floor, Palladium, High Street Phoenix, Tulsi Pipe Road, Lower Parel,
Entry: Rs 500
Call: 9004603115

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