‘Negativity Is Not An Option'

Activist and comedian Nidhi Goyal has been visually impaired since age 15, but that hasnt stopped her from leading a life full of purpose, much punctuated with laughter.

- Anindita Ghosh

When Nidhi Goyal takes the stage as a comedian, there is often an uneasy hush before she starts speaking. There are a few sotto voce murmurs and a general discomfort that arises from not knowing what to expect or how to react. After all, Goyal happens to be visually impaired, and chances are that none of the audience members would have been to a gig by a disabled comedian before. But Goyal, who is all too aware of the uncertainty around her performance, takes the discomfort head-on with an opening line that goes, “I’m blind, so is love. Get over it!” The ice breaks immediately, and there is a roar of laughter as the elephant in the room is shooed out. This has been pretty much the way that Goyal has dealt with her disability—with a huge dose of humour where the joke is on the sighted who bumble around her, not knowing how to deal with someone with a visual impairment. “There are so many anecdotes of things that keep happening to me daily, that they provide fodder for an endless stream of jokes. For example, if I am with a friend, there will always be someone who will ignore me and address my friend asking if I want something when I am standing right there! Or there are these uncles scouting for brides on matrimonial sites, who turn speech impaired when they hear that I am visually impaired!” says Goyal.