Mining Her Personal Life for Anecdotes, Nidhi Goyal, India’s First Blind Comedienne, Is Breaking Stereotypes — One Joke at a Time.
NIDHI GOYAL lost her eyesight when she was 15 years old. Don’t be sad. Now, 16 years later, at 31, Nidhi is one of the happiest, most positive people you’ll ever meet, which explains the latest addition to her already impressive list of titles – that of being India’s first visually challenged stand-up comedian.
An activist working on disability rights and gender justice at both the national and international levels, Nidhi never planned to be a comedian. But the jokes were always there, inspired by her personal experiences, and meant for her friends’ ears only.
“My friends loved how I narrated my personal adventures and experiences,” says Nidhi.“After one such catching-up session, my friend and fellow activist, Pramada Menon, gave me a six month deadline to get a performance ready. So, I sat and wrote incidents that were on the top of my mind and got a script together. Everything you hear and laugh about is based on a personal incident, a slice of my life or that of my friends. As an activist, l interact with a lot of people with disabilities. So the set is a collage of my story and theirs, stories that’ll make you see the hilarity in the myths and assumptions surrounding disability and just how far they are from the truth.”
BREAKING THE FUNNY BONE
Popular stand-up comedian Aditi Mittal introduced Nidhi to the world with her series, Bad Girls. Her first performance in February this year was an instant hit, both offline and online.
This story is from the April 2, 2017 edition of Brunch.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2, 2017 edition of Brunch.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The future has arrived
And charge up. Here are 10 new devices we can't wait to try out
Source from farm and wide
India's super-rich vegetarians want more than paneer. So, high-end chefs now offer exotic mushrooms, creamy cheeses, hardto-find veggies and more. Bless the bounty
What's India eating now
We scanned more than 60 menus across 6 cities to see what trendy restaurants are serving. What we found: A new bird is flying in, pricing has a magic number, one fruit has had a veggie makeover, everyone wants local, seasonal, unusual. And one delicious word is forbidden. Dig right in
Imitation game theory
Blurry monograms, stitching shortcuts, uneven seams. Are you buying legit fashion or clever fakes? Here's help
Who asked for a remake?
Live-action followups can't be a movie studio's only trump card. They fail more than they succeed. Leave our animated classics alone
The good wich of the East
The hero of modern Japanese cuisine is not sushi, ramen or tempura. It may be the convenience-store sandwich: Cheap, mass produced, high quality and delicious
Shut up and take my money
Big splurge coming up? First time? Calm the butterflies. Count the zeroes. We've got help from luxury-investment experts
The fast and the curious
He's 21, loves speed but practises mindfulness. Indianorigin racer Yuven Sundaramoorthy is changing what motorsports can do
Contrite. And done right
Sorry seems to be the hardest word. For those doing the apologising, at least. here's how to deal with a gesture that's less than sincere
Give more than vibes
Why does India love the idea of charity, but stop short of actual donation? Is there a way to open our hearts and wallets better?