Humorous Stories

November 17, 2011 01:00 pm | Updated 01:00 pm IST

Writing humorous stories is no joke. Only a few have made a mark in this genre, with originality and wit. Some have excelled in writing humorous articles but have not been successful in writing a full-length, structured humorous novel or a short story. Bhagyam Ramasami is an exception. Reading him is absolute delight.

He has churned out numerous short stories and novels with the hugely popular ‘Appusamy’ and ‘Seethapaatti’, and readers have developed a deep sense of attachment towards these fictitious characters. It is to the credit of the author that nowhere in the 79 short stories, he had resorted to contrived situations. They are utterly natural.

Appusamy has a penchant for creating problems for himself and running into trouble, and it is almost invariably given to his sophisticated, English-muttering wife, Seethapaatti, to play the saviour and trouble-shooter. Every time he commits a blunder or picks up courage to ‘challenge’ her, he lands in a mess, only to be rescused by her at the end. One can fault this formula, but the end product is indeed hilarious.

There are, of course, exceptions. where Appusamy gains an upper hand (Appusamy Seidha Kidney Dhaanam, Thuppillaa Dhuppattisami, etc.). Seethaapatti’s arch rival Geethapaatti, the Kannada-speaking Bhimarao and the innocent Rasagundu are the supporting characters in some of the episodes. He uses puns and similes cleverly to heighten the impact.

Bhagyam Ramasami combines in himself consummate skill in situational humour as well as narrative humour, a rare double (Witness: Akaasavaniyil Appusamy, En Purushan, etc.). Preface apart, the author has chosen the 80th episode to tell readers how he shaped some of the stories with the guidance of his editor-cum-mentor. Sure to turn anyone to cheerful mood.

APPUSAMY-80 (Vols. 1&2): Bhagyam Ramasami; Poompuhar Pathippagam, 127 Prakasam Salai, Chennai-600108. Price: Rs.330 & Rs.350.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.