Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): Choupal organisation felicitated internationally recognised humour and satire poet Sampat Saral at a ceremony.
Saral took sharp digs at society and the prevailing system, saying modern education made students cunning rather than wise. Referring to liberalisation, he compared offers to bait placed beneath a trap.
In his characteristic style, he said occupying a space and creating one were different things. “How can religions save the world when they themselves depend on microphones and DJs for their own defence?” he asked.
He questioned whether renaming a red-light district Ganikapuram could improve the lives of vulnerable women living there.
Saral remarked that had arrogance, revenge and scheming been virtues, the Kauravas would have defeated the Pandavas in the 'Mahabharata'. He added that fireflies flourished in the absence of light.
Urging people to meet and converse rather than rely on mobile chats, he said perfumes and deodorants could never replace bathing.
Presiding over the ceremony, poet Ashok Bhati credited Saral with giving satire new dimensions and described it as a call against a misguided system.
Mukesh Joshi, Shashank Dubey, Shantilal Jain, Surendra Circuit, Shyam Maheshwari, Dinesh Vijayvargiya, Dr Ashok Khandelwal, Rakesh Chauhan and Dinesh Anal honoured Saral with a shawl, 'shrifal' and a memento.
Shailendra Vyas conducted the programme, while Pilkendra Arora proposed the vote of thanks.
