LAUGHING AT DEATH

My father has not been a man of many words and for the first time I heard him speak his mind about the disease and things that were bottled up within him,” says Sampada Mhatre.

She’s talking about her dad Narendra Mhatre, 64, who was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure four years ago and performed in the #LaughAtDeath video that went viral last week.

The video featured four terminally ill patients talking about death, and was part of a campaign by the Indian Association of Palliative Care.

They joked about their close relationships with doctors, their concepts of time.

The campaign was only possible because of the patients, says Amit Akali, chief creative officer at Medulla, the ad company that helped plan the campaign and find professional comics to mentor the four amateurs.

“They were keen on sharing their stories and making the most of their remaining days. They were sometimes in excruciating pain while preparing but went ahead with sheer grit because they were so keen to talk.”

Talk and joke. Janice Powell, 65, quipped that her family was more worried than she was.

One of the perks of dying in the city of Mumbai, she added: “Being buried is the most affordable way to get your own place.”

To watch the full video of the #LaughAtDeath stand-up comedy event, go to hindustantimes.com /lifestyle.