He was known for his 1980s TV series “Flop Show,” which was a satirical look at the problems faced by middle-class families in India.

Thursday, Bhatti is being remembered by Bollywood film stars and Indian politicians.

The issues Jaspal Bhatti put into his comedic routines were unique for the time and they touched a chord to everyone who watched.

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Marco Werman: And finally today, one of the most popular comedians on Indian television has died. Jaspal Bhatti was killed in a car accident in India. He was 57. He was known for his 1980s TV series “Flop Show” which took a satirical look at the problems faced by middle-class families in India. Today, Bhatti is being remembered by Bollywood film stars, Indian politicians, and by our own Rahul Joglekar. He’s a producer at The World’s London office. Rahul, I gather you grew up watching Jaspal Bhatti on TV in the same way that many Americans grew up watching Bill Cosby in the 80s. Is that kind of even an accurate reference point?

Rahul Joglekar: Oh yes, absolutely, Marco. Jaspal Bhatti was a very popular television comedian and when I look back at these episodes, the production values weren’t all that great and the costumes were a bit shabby, but the issues that he sort of spoke about are very current and touched a chord with everybody who watched these series.

Werman: We actually have a clip from “Flop Show”. It’s in Hindi, so we’ll play a bit of it and then you can help us out to the meaning.

[Clip plays]
Jaspal Bhatti: [Speaking Hindi]
[Clip ends]

Werman: It sounds a little like a sitcom without the laugh track or maybe “The Office” where nobody is getting that live laughing going on. What is happening in this scene?

Joglekar: Absolutely. You know, even when I listen to the script it brings a smile to my face. This is one of the episodes where he’s discussing this problem that often India’s bureaucracy would have with these meetings and sub-committees and in this particular episode he’s a government official and his secretary comes to him and says, “Listen, there’s nobody available in this department to hold a meeting because they’re all holding various other meetings.” So he then holds a meeting to discuss how they should have a meeting with the chairman and they discuss things like what kind of tea will be served and whether there’s going to be samosas and what kind of samosas should be there. And then he comes out of the end of the episode and says, “Oh, we’ve made brilliant progress. We’ve decided on the date.” And a reporter sort of asks him, “What is that date?” and he says, “This is the date for the next meeting.”

Werman: I can see how he kind of sticks it to power and authority and corruption.

Joglekar: Absolutely. And this was something that wasn’t done on Indian television. This was state-controlled TV and the government and bureaucrats were absolutely holy cows and attacking them on state-controlled television was unthinkable, and all of a sudden this show comes along that is undoing all of that propaganda. So I think that’s something that was really unique about this show and, of course, today, on Indian TV there are scams and corruptions being discussed all the time, but back then this was very, very new.

Werman: Now, Jaspal Bhatti achieved fame beyond “Flop Show”. He had a new film, it’s coming out tomorrow in fact, called “Power Cut”. With this beloved comic now gone, what do you think the reception for the film is going to be?

Joglekar: The reception of the film will, of course, this is a film that, again, talks about, I don’t know, Marco, if you remember, but a few months ago, there was this big power failure in India where about six hundred million people were without power for one long . . .

Werman: I do.

Joglekar: Yeah, for a whole day and beyond. And this is an ideal situation for Jaspal Bhatti to exploit. This is the kind of stuff that he lives on. What’s really also important to point out is Mr. Bhatti’s activities outside of TV and film. This is a comedian who wore the hat of an activist. He’d launch political parties before elections, something what he called “Suitcase Party”, a suitcase being the symbol of bribes that are given to the government and bureaucrats. It’s stuff like that that Mr. Bhatti will always be remembered for.

Werman: Well, Rahul, thank you for sharing your memories of Indian comedian Jaspal Bhatti who sadly died today in a car accident. Rahul Joglekar, a producer for The World in London. You can watch an episode of “Flop Show” at theworld.org. Right now though, we leave you with the show’s theme song. From the Nan and Bill Harris Studios at WGBH, I’m Marco Werman. Thanks for listening.

[Song plays]

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We drove down from Nagpur to Tadoba National Park – a wildlife sanctuary – one of the rare places in India where tiger sightings are quite common.

We reached the gates at 6 a.m. and got into a forest Jeep with a ranger. The first thing that strikes you about a forest is the sudden fall in temperature. It cools down and somehow the unbearable heat of central India in the summer seems much more bearable, almost enjoyable.

Second, a forest can be so quiet. City folk would love this kind of solitude – broken sometimes only by the calls of a bird or an animal at a distance.

About an hour later, we were still driving, but still no tiger. I began to think to myself how I am unlucky with buses, taxis and trains (I always seem to miss them) – and maybe tigers too.

It’s funny when you keep staring at the brown grass hoping to see a tiger, you actually begin to imagine that you can see one in the distance. When I shared this thought with my fellow tiger enthusiasts, they teased me a bit but were also sympathetic.

We saw a herd of deer go past us. And then a peacock. I spotted monkeys and even some rare species of birds. But still no tiger. My transportation luck was rubbing off on this visit.

Indraneel Dani, the photographer amongst us knows the forest like the back of his hand, has visited these forests since he was 8-years-old and has been photographing tigers at this sanctuary for the past six years.

He told us all to look for signs. When a tiger is close, other animals begin to tell you that its there. The deer start to disperse, the birds begin to make threatening noises and the monkeys announce its arrival.

I saw this unfolding in front of me, held my breath, yet the tiger eluded us. Bad luck.

Summers are a good time to visit sanctuaries like this one because tigers often come out to the ponds to drink water. We continued our drive down the demarcated road (you’re not allowed to stop the car or get off at any point).

A few minutes later, we saw a couple of Jeeps parked on the road – silently watching something. We drove to the spot, Indraneel’s instincts proved right – there was a family of tigers. A “dominant male” inside a water hole with its entire family – a female and four other smaller tigers.

Tiger in Tadoba National Park, India. (Photo: Indraneel Dani)

Indraneel was photographing the tigers and we all watched in awe. Most other animals seem to shy away when they see human beings – not these big guys. It seemed to look at us nonchalantly, unaffected by our presence.

Maybe tigers are programmed not to fear any other animals and that’s why they don’t scamper away when you see them.

We continued to watch the tiger and its family for several minutes. The forest rangers gently reminded us to drive away and so we did. But it is a sight that will never leave me – the image of five tigers at a water hole. Lucky for Indraneel, he’s back there again this weekend.

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You’re expected to meet (read – schmooze) potential landlords or roommates, get a few numbers and move on and do a bit more of that.

Some of those contacts may come in handy, some not. The promoters are only too happy to suggest that this is not just about getting a house. When you get so many people together, Cupid may be round the corner too.

But the idea of meeting strangers this way is fascinating. Especially in London. This is a city that isn’t very well-known for being friendly. Polite yes, but gregarious – no way.

And that’s why this event struck me as a bit strange. While I love London very much, it is a city where people don’t talk to each other. Strangers coming up to you and starting a conversation? That is a strict no-no.

A ride on London’s underground trains demonstrates this only too well. People engage with their iPods, newspapers or books. But not with each other. Just today I could hear a few people talking loudly on the tube. Unsurprisingly, they were tourists from Alabama, not Londoners.

So that’s why I found this experience strangely liberating. Going up and talking to people about what kind of roommate you are. Wow.

But as I walked out, I was pulled to one side by a tall, slightly withdrawn man who I guessed must be in his twenties.

“What is it like in there? Are there a lot of people? What are they like?”

I introduced myself, saying I was doing this for a radio program.

“Oh. Okay,” he said. “I feel a bit uncomfortable when there are too many people in a room. How many are there?”

There were about a hundred. But to not put him off, I said, “It is crowded but not that crowded. You should give it a shot.”

He mumbled a few words (I assumed he was saying thank you.) And he continued to pace, as I left the venue.

But as I walked out, I did think to myself – aren’t introverts at a massive disadvantage at events like this one?

If you feel shy about going up to strangers, then you’ll not do well here . That’s a bit of a shame. Especially because people who don’t ask you probing questions about your life may just make for very good house mates.

Unfortunately, you won’t find them at a flatmating event. But you can always check for the ones who are pacing outside the venue.

The World’s Rahul Joglekar recently attended one speed flatmating event and shares his experience.

She has fond memories of the time she spent there. She came in today to the BBC studio at Bush House in London. She remembers Homs as a sleepy town. “Nothing ever happened in Homs.”

“I cannot make the connection anymore between the Homs I knew and the Homs I see in the news,” she told me after the interview with Anchor Lisa Mullins. “The smallest events would become news. And now, there are reports about bodies being found there.”

It has been a difficult year for her. All her family members, including her parents live there. She cannot confirm if all of them are alive. “I talk to them when I can.”

She thinks the cosmopolitan nature of the city is also partly why it has seen so much bloodshed. “People from different backgrounds live there.” And in times of crisis, she thinks, the divisions have hardened.

In spite of all this, she thinks the solution to Syria’s problems isn’t military intervention. She doesn’t want the west or anyone else to get involved militarily.

“Everyone will realize, the solution will have to be a political one.”

I didn’t know Marie Colvin. Or Anthony Shadid. Or Rami al-Sayed. Or many other journalists (and citizen journalists) who died on the front lines. But I often spoke to them on scratchy phone lines from London to get them to tell extraordinary stories on the radio.

These names are part of a producer’s mental database deployed often when the editor says, “That’s a good story, but who can we talk to?”

When you find out, that the people who you turned to are no more, it hits you.

Rami Ahmad Alsayeed,1985, father of 18 m.o little girl, Marym, was killed during shelling over #Homs this afternoon. twitter.com/NMSyria/status…

— NMSyria (@NMSyria) February 21, 2012

Being a journalist often demands that you to be unaffected by world events. Gun battles, dead civilians, terror strikes, bomb blasts, hurricanes, earthquakes – these are grave events – and make the news.

But these are people you don’t know. You feel a sense of empathy, sure, but it cannot be a personal experience.

In the case of journalists, even if you didn’t know them personally, it somehow becomes personal.

Suddenly, all journalists – western or eastern or citizen, senior or junior, photographers or producers – become people who wanted to tell a story and put their lives on the line for it.

It is a moment that forces you to pause and reflect.

Growing up in India, I would turn to the BBC World Service for a very British view of the world. And then, watch The Simpsons for some light-hearted American humor.

I must have been in my early teens when The Simpsons arrived – on my screen and in my life. I had never seen anything like it before. I used to watch the Flintstones and the Jetsons – both cartoon series that appealed to older kids.

But The Simpsons, it took me a while to realize, was actually a sitcom. The never-ending saga of an American family that refused to grow up – literally and otherwise.

I always thought the yellow family was full of colorful characters, that Springfield really was a town somewhere in the US and that a lot of Americans worked in nuclear power. I still remember thinking of Homer Simpson when the US imposed sanctions on India for carrying out nuclear tests in 1998. (They can trust Homer Simpson to run a nuclear power plant but can’t trust India to be peaceful with its weapons!)

There was so much I could relate to as an urban Indian living in a nuclear family and a lot that was culturally foreign.

The dynamic between the family members for one. If you know anything about Canadian-Indian comedian Russel Peters, you’d know that Indian fathers are in fact a lot like Homer Simpson. And a show that satirizes the ultimate authority figure at home must be a good show.

Also, Marge Simpson’s sisters, Patty and Salma, could well compare with “aunties” in Indian families. Annoying neighbors, bullies at school and a ruthless capitalist businessmen – I knew all these characters. (Indian society was especially distrustful of Mr. Burns-type figures in the 1990s.)

And then there was Apu – the sole champion of the Indian sub-continent, Hinduism and Bollywood on mainstream American television. As a character with so much on his shoulders, he does a fab job of it. I thought so, until I learned that Hank Azaria was voicing him up. Damn you Hank Azaria for doing an Indian accent so well. I couldn’t have done it better myself. Wait a minute, I could have.

One of the many things I couldn’t relate to was the irreverence. Indian society has its holy cows, shall we say. Many of them. And making fun of your elders, teachers, authority figures and worst of all – God – is a strict no-no.

You can lampoon politicians but not dead politicians. You can make fun of your teachers, but strictly behind their back and you ask you parents to live with you when they grow old. Grandpa Abraham Simpson isn’t someone you can make fun of at home.

And then, who can forget the episode where the entire family goes to Bangalore in India. It tackles so many stereotypes – about India and the US – all in one show. After talking about outsourcing and employee rights it ends with panache: Homer dancing to a Bollywood song from the 70s.

Maybe that’s why I am a fan of The Simpsons. It has a cheeky take on serious and sometimes divisive issues. It doesn’t simplify complex problems but expects you, forces you, to see the lighter side. Satire at its best. D-oh!

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague says Syria's president heads a "doomed regime as well as a murdering regime" (Photo: BBC)

The two countries, that are permanent members of the Security Council, see any such resolution as a potential violation of Syria’s sovereignty.

They were the receiving-end of a lot of criticism.

US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton responded, “What more do we need to know to act decisively in the Security Council?”

The BBC Russian service invited comments from listeners about Russia’s stand on Syria. These are some of the comments the service received. We’ve voiced the comments.

This follows the closure of the US embassy in Damascus on Monday. Several European countries have recalled their ambassadors too. The diplomatic situation continues to evolve. This is a collection of news articles, editorials, tweets and user generated content from Syria.

Join the conversation with us @pritheworld or on Facebook.

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You may have heard about Iran test-firing missiles this past week. But also fascinating, is what Iran calls its missiles.

The two that were test-fired on Sunday are named Qader (capable) and Nour (light) “While Nour literally means light, it is also a verse in the Koran,” said BBC Persian journalist, Pooneh Ghodoosi in a phone interview. “It symbolizes the victory of light over darkness – in the war between believers and non-believers.”

Take another: the the Sajjil missile Iran said it tested in 2008:

“This one is very much from the Koran,” Ghodoosi explained. “It is from a verse that talks about how a bunch of birds attack non-believers and throw stones at them. The birds are messengers from God.”

It is not just missiles. Many of Iran’s military operations have political and historical references too.

“These words are able to move and motivate people. It is proof of the ideology behind the war. They are trying to portray this as a battle between holy people and unholy people,” Ghodoosi said.

Many cultures name missiles to send out messages steeped in religion or history. For example, some of Pakistan’s missiles are called Ghauri, Ghaznawi and Abdali.

What do they mean? Well, they’re all names of Muslim conquerors who defeated Hindu rulers – a clear message to arch-rival India (roughly 80 percent of India’s population is Hindu.)

India prefers Sanskrit names. References to weapons used by Hindu Gods also come up. Some of the missiles are called: Agni (fire), Prithvi (earth), Akash (sky), Trishul (trident, also the weapon used by Hindu God Shiva) etc.

There are other reasons behind naming of missiles in India.

W Selvamurthy, chief controller of life sciences and human resources at India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) told the Times of India that missiles are given names that have a “functional meaning and/or a scientific rationale.”

In China “historical or cultural references are not that common,” explained Professor Professor Steven Tsang, director China Policy Institute, University of Nottingham in the UK. “But names have a lot to do with the Leninist-Marxist heritage of the Communist party.”

There are missiles called Red Arrow or Red Bird – direct references to the Communist Party.

China’s Dong-Feng missiles literally mean “East Winds”. “After the launch of the Sputnik, Mao Zedong made a speech in which he declared – “the east wind (communism) prevails over the west wind (capitalism). The names of these missiles may well have something to do with this historic speech,” said Tsang.

China is no stranger to controversy about how its military names munition. The Taipei Times reported last year that Taiwan wasn’t pleased at the prospect of China calling it’s aircraft carrier “Shi Lang”.

Shi Lang was a Chinese admiral who crushed resistance in Taiwan and took over the island in the 17th century.

Whole Wheat Breakfast with Yogurt (Photo: cookingeconomy.com)

Earlier this month, British newspaper The Guardian published an article about Eleni Nikolaidou, a Greek school teacher who compiled recipes and survival tips from newspaper clippings from the 1940s.

Her book captures the essence of what many countries, including the Unites States, went through during the war years. “This may be a bit extreme, but we are all facing tough times,” says Athens-based chef and TV show host FT Bletsas.

But can austerity and the festive season go together? Bletsas definitely thinks so. He takes credit for popularizing a philosophy he calls “economy cooking.”

“We’ve done this during the whole history of mankind,”Bletsas says. “So, I think we can still do it. The idea is to educate people about how they can actually shop well, store the food so that it doesn’t go bad and cook it in some smart way.”

The proof in the pudding is in sharing the recipe, right? So I asked him to tell me about some of his favorite festive season recipes that are good for the pallet and easy on the wallet. These are his top picks.

Whole Wheat Breakfast with Yogurt

You can store whole wheat for a long time. You could also buy it in bulk to save money. It is nutritious, full of fiber, vitamin B and proteins.

Preparation: Soak the wheat into water for 2 hours. Then boil it for 15 minutes. Mix it with cinnamon, nuts, raisins, toss in some pieces of apple, add honey and serve on top of Greek Yogurt.

Wheat and Nut Dessert

Call this a dessert or a whole wheat kernels breakfast. It is cheaper than processed cereals available in the market. If you add some nuts it becomes protein-rich. Honey is a good sweetener but you can use whatever is available – fruit juice is a good option.

Ingredients: 1 cup whole wheat, 6 red apples, 10 chestnuts, ½ cup walnuts, ½ cup raisins, ½ tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ glass fresh orange juice, ½ glass pomegranate juice.

Preparation: Soak the wheat in water for 2-3 hours. Put this in a pan and boil for 20 minutes. Drain the wheat, place it back in the pan and leave it aside. Boil the chestnuts in water for 30 minutes and drain them. You can also bake them in the oven. When they are cold, remove the skin. If they are cooked enough it is easy to remove the skin manually. Cut the apples in half, remove the core and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Place the apple pieces in a bowl and leave the empty halves aside. Sprinkle some lemon juice on the halves and the pieces to prevent browning. Peel the chestnuts, cut them in four and place them in the bowl. Add some walnut pieces. Add raisins, fruit juice, honey, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Mix everything together and place it in the pan with the wheat. Mix again and cook on low to medium heat for 15 minutes, until the apples soften and the juices are gone. You can alter the recipe according to what you have available in terms of nuts, dried fruit and fruit juice.

Quick Apple Dessert

This has to be one of the simplest baked apple recipes. It is a clever way to utilize your surplus apples and stale bread. It takes less than five minutes to mix everything. And then all you need to do is put the tray in the oven.

Ingredients: 4 red apples, 4 slices stale brown bread slices, ¼ cup melted butter, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ½ cup water.

Preparation: Preheat the oven. Clean and chop the apples into cubes. Stir apples, bread crumbs, butter and sugar in a medium deep pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and pour some water into the mixture. Bake for 30 minutes at 200 degrees and serve warm with yogurt or ice cream.

Oatmeal Cookies

Oats are very cheap if you buy in bulk. They’re highly nutritious with plenty of fiber, protein and vitamins. They also contain complex carbohydrates that give lasting energy. Oats are an ideal way to add thickness and nutrients to soups, juices and smoothies. You can also use oats as a base for your breakfast cereal mix. You can also use them in baking recipes, such as cakes, cookies, scones and bread. Make these biscuits on weekend and you can keep munching till the end of the year.

Ingredients: 1 packet of butter or sesame oil (8½ ounces), 1 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 eggs, 1 cup wholemeal flour, 4 cups rolled oats, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon powdered ginger, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 cup dark chocolate chips.

Preparation: Preheat the oven and leave eggs and butter outside the fridge. Pour the butter and sugar in a bowl. Mix the two till you get a creamy paste. Add honey and eggs into the mixture and keep stirring. In another bowl mix all the other dry ingredients, and then throw them gradually inside the cream mix. Stir until you get a uniform thick mixture. Use a spoon to place equal amounts of the mixture in a tray with wax paper. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 degrees, until you get a golden color. When ready, let them cool and serve immediately or store in a well-sealed box. You could also store the biscuits in the refrigerator.

Banana Ice Cream

This one is nutritious, delicious and contains no added sugar. It is a smart way to use ripe bananas that you can buy cheaply in many groceries stores. If you want to make dairy-free ice cream instead of milk you can use fruit juice or milk substitute made of almonds, rice or soy.

Ingredients: 4 ripe bananas (peeled, cut, and frozen), 1 cup cold milk, 1 cup raw cashew nuts (soaked for 30 minutes in water), ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder, ¼ cup dark chocolate chips

Preparation: If you have lots of ripe bananas, peel them, cut them into small pieces and place them in a plastic food container that you can put in the freezer. Within three hours they are frozen and you can use them in this recipe. Frozen bananas can be added in smoothies, cakes, biscuits and many other recipes. They last in the freezer of about two to three weeks.

Leave the frozen bananas outside the freezer for 3 minutes and place it in the food processor. Add the milk (or juice), vanilla powder and the soaked cashew nuts and mix them until they become a smooth cream. Place the cream in a bowl and add the chocolate chips. Mix with a spoon and place it in the freezer for 20 minutes before you eat it. If you want to keep it for longer, place it in the refrigerator.

The Handlebar Club comprises of men from diverse backgrounds who are rather proud, as they should be, of their fantastic moustaches.

The ‘tache comes in many shapes, sizes and styles. All of these were on display above the not so very stiff upper lips of club members: the classic handlebar, the thin pencil, the toothbrush, the classic cowboy and the horse shoe moustache among others.

“I used to sport an easy rider traditional laid back ‘tache, now I’ve smartened up my act. I now have an English traditional style, slightly tweaked at the ends with a little bit of curl,” said Ritz, a member who has been with the club for six years.

“The group started off in 1947,” said Rod Littlewood, the Club’s president. “After the war, we wanted to preserve this very British tradition,” he said.

Before I went to the pub I wondered how much there was to say about facial hair. I thought a group of men talking about their ‘taches played into the stereotype about British eccentricity.

But sitting across the table, I heard all about: which blades to use, what barbers to go to, maintenance tips, stories about how strangers stopped members on the street to be photographed with them and best brands of hair wax.

Some boasted about the edge their whiskers gave them.

“People remembered me as the salesman with the long ‘tache,” said Littlewood. Someone else told me that he is dating a woman he met when she approached him to ask about his moustache. To many, this is about tradition. The great British tradition of generals who grew flamboyant moustaches and conquered the world.

Photos of Handlebar Club member adorn the walls of the Windsor Castle Pub in London (Photo: Rahul Joglekar)

I got caught up in the the cross-hairs because of Movember – a charity event that raises money for prostate cancer and other causes related to men’s health. Many in the club had taken it upon themselves to persuade clean shaven men to join their hairy group.

Just as I was about to be converted, a man appeared from the shadows. “We’re a bigger and better group. We cover more ground,” he said as he slipped a visiting card into my pocket.

The card said in bold letters: “THE BEARDED CLUB of London – join for free.”

I am sure I don’t want to grow a beard, but I may give Movember a shot next year.

It is afterall Moustache November – or MO-vember – a whole month when men decide to keep their moustache and everything that comes with the hairy territory.

The event has humble roots. Movember started in Australia but has traveled far and wide. In England, it seems to fit very well with the tradition of growing a moustache. Little wonder then that the numbers of men taking part have doubled this year.

Around a wooden table at the Windsor Castle Pub in London some stories were being exchanged. Free grooming tips for that perfect moustache.

Martin foster is an accountant and he listens very carefully.

“You shave on the first of November and reconvene on the 30th and see how you’re doing really,” he said.

His moustache is just a few days old. He grew it for Movember.

“This is my first time, Foster said. My face may not be pre-disposed to it, but I’ll give it a go. It is for prostate cancer charity basically.”

Movember began in Australia just a few years ago. Now it’s a worldwide trend. In the UK, the numbers have almost doubled this year.

There are more than 200,000 men taking part this year. The men growing a ‘tache call themselves Mo-bros.

London’s Handle Bar Club is a group of men with the most flamboyant moustaches

My moustache is a full bushy dark brown moustache, said Handle Bar Club member Steve Parsons. I unfurled it the other day and its 20 centimeters in wingspan which is about eight inches in old money.”

Club members help neophytes with the fine art of growing and grooming moustaches.

Bertie Young, an artist, is a member of the club. He says he is helping Mo-bros get back in touch with their roots.

“I think it is harping back to this British Empire – conquering the world, generals with their big moustaches, Young said. You know, a man with a moustache looks like he can lead people into battle. He looks like he can do the job that you give him. I think that’s important about having a moustache.”

But there are other practical considerations as well.

Kate Harrison’s boyfriend sports a moustache.

“It is really soft, it’s like a cushion when you kiss somebody, she said. The only downside as a girlfriend, is that when we go out there are crazy women who want to take their photograph with him, touch him, maul him, stroke him.”

For some, moustache season will end in November, but for Handle Bar club members, moustaches are forever.

A group of 10 people from very different backgrounds including a computer maintenance expert, a street artist, a teacher, a counselor had all come together, with one serious aim: to laugh.

I am no stranger to laughter yoga. It was born in Mumbai, India, where I lived and worked for several years. A medical doctor devised it as yet another avatar of yoga.

It is a simple concept: when you see other people laughing, you begin to laugh which makes them laugh, which makes you laugh. It aims to do what any other form of yoga tries to do – reduce stress.

I have to admit, it did feel a bit awkward in the beginning.

“Laughing with somebody is an intimate experience, doing goofy things. It’s a little bit of a bizarre experience. I’m still processing it,” said Shona, a counselor, who was trying it out for the first time.

Once we got started, and introduced ourselves, it was down to the funny business. We talked gibberish, practiced various forms of laughter – shy laughter, angry laughter, no-money laughter and it ended with some clapping.

Nihat Tsolak, a banker by profession, is the “facilitator” of the group. He traveled to India a few months ago to train with Dr. Madan Kataria in Bangalore. He has tweaked some of the exercises.

“I spent five days with Dr. Kataria learning Laughter yoga. The philosophy, how it started and learning from his experience,” he says.

A passer-by stopped for a moment and concluded it is, “very British because it is so eccentric.”

This may be a gimmick but it still feels good to go out and laugh with a bunch of people for no particular reason at all.

Will I go back next week? LOL, of course I will.