Nagaland Comedy Hub (NCH) members with the artistes after the show at State Academy Hall, Kohima on January 26. (Photo Courtesy: Besuzo Swuro)
Kanili Kiho
Dimapur | February 17
The walls of State Academy Hall in the Capital city of Kohima reverberated with booming laughter on a frosty evening of January 26.
It was the audience laughing to the tune of good humor delivered by four budding Naga artistes, up on the stage. Headlined “Comedy Night Special,” the show was an exclusive stand-up comedy organized by Nagaland Comedy Hub (NCH).
While the Nagas are known to be jovial and good-humored as a people, the art of stand-up comedy in Nagaland is so far unexplored, with the exception of really popular stand-up comedians in every Naga village and community as their niche audience. This is where NCH steps in, with a singular vision to promote comedy culture and its industry in the State.
NCH was born out of “two broke best friends” brooding about life, over steaming cups of phika – chai one September evening of 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic dragged on to the second year.
For founders Vipito V Swu and Tokugha Sheqi, and co-founder Vepfütolu Medeo, NCH came to life in the midst of uncertainty across the globe which was no different in Nagaland as COVID-19 killed thousands of lives while leaving many, psychologically disturbed.
Centered on “Beyond Laughter,” NCH hopes to achieve “its goal by adding a little laughter and smile amid the pain and struggle we are all going through, whilst providing a platform for promising and upcoming stand-up comedians.”
In conversation with The Morung Express, The three-member team of young adults expressed pure delight to have pulled off their first show with success.
“The show which went on for roughly an hour left most of us a little dejected,” said someone from the audience who wished to remain anonymous. She was thrilled to know that an exclusive stand-up comedy was finally happening in the State.
“I really love comedy, because it is something which uplifts my mood when I’m all down and stressed, when I’m not able to concentrate on things,” she put across.
On the delivery of the four young artistes, “while there is room for improvement, I really enjoyed the show. It exceeded my expectation,” she said. The woman also said that she has spotted several promising artistes on a number of occasions; however language barrier seems to be a factor, with most of the budding comedians being ‘more comfortable’ in their mother language.
According to her, “For a debut one-hour only show, I feel the ticket costing 200 rupees was a little much. However, I’m ready to pay even in the future to watch more live shows, provided they extend time a little more.”
“As this is the first time they are opening up such platforms, I am sure that the show is only going to get better. And when it does, they should definitely increase the rate as well,” she added.
Laughter the best form of therapy
For Sezolu Rhakho, she had the best form of therapy in a long time. As she laughed the whole way through, she didn’t notice that time just flew, she said while exclaiming that the icing on the cake was coffee and popcorns being made available in the vicinity.
While she had no complaints for the one-hour show, “had there been a break in-between to get more coffee and snacks,” Rhakho thought aloud, hinting the NCH on their upcoming shows.
She also said that it was heartening to see young people in their 20s taking risks for their passion and that she was blessed to witness the whole thing.
Rhakho further said that stand-up shows are a great way for families to come together and unwind. In that sense, she suggested that the NCH could also come with up with shows specifically for families. “It is such a stress buster as they take us to another zone,” she said while adding, “they should do this often, maybe every month, please.”
The four artistes included Velavoi Kezo, Nitobo K Chishi, Ibeto V Swu and Hopong Naga. Kezo who has been performing at churches and college events since 2017 appreciated the NCH for coming up with an exclusive platform for aspiring stand-up comics like him. Kezo also got a chance to perform at a show in collaboration with TaFMA (Task Force for Music and Arts) in 2020.
“I really appreciate that they put up the whole event by themselves. Another thing is, they are not just doing it for the money,” he added.
For their debut show, the NCH teamed up with two friends Holu and Ibe, while some friends helped sell the tickets. The team encountered a lot of mixed feelings while planning the show, however, the audience turn-up on the day “cleared all our doubts,” Swu said.
Confessing that it would have been a “no show,” were there no dedicated supporters, NCH thanked everyone who came and supported them.
“This is just the tip of an iceberg. With the response and positive feedback from the audience and well wishers, we are hyped up to bring the next possible show anytime soon, so a humble request to all the comedy lovers out there to keep on supporting us,” the NCH team added.
NCH can be reached on their social media handles: Instagram – nagaland_comedy_hub, Facebook – nagalandcomedyhub and nagalandcomedyhub@gmail.com.
