Punchlines and Power Plays: Tracing the Roots of Indian Satire

History adorns itself with its oldest habit- hierarchy, and inequality, its most faithful shadow. One thing that remains constant with every civilisation, religion, and government is power imbalance, and whenever such imbalances strutted around too confidently, satire has emerged with sharpened words as a humbling weapon.

Illustration by The Geostrata

Particularly in the Indian context, where social, religious, and political stratification have long shaped the public imagination, satire rose as a persistent literature which is not only adaptive but also enduring.

Throughout history, literature has served as both a reflection of and a response to society’s hierarchies and hypocrisies. For a civilisation as old as India, satire has not really demanded invitation. It has always been around, consistently functioning as a counter-voice to authority and rigidity, cloaked in wit from ancient fables, or embedded in the political jabs of colonial-era verse.

Satire, by definition, is an artistic expression that makes use of humour, irony, and ridicule, often in an exaggerated manner, to criticise and mock individuals, institutions, or problematic societal rituals. In India, the roots of satire reach deep into antiquity, with mentions of it from as early as the 7th century BCE.

SATIRE THROUGH ANCIENT TEXTS

References to satirical expression in India appear across a wide range of ancient Sanskrit literature and epic narratives. Its most notable example is Maha Subhasita Samgraha, a classical compilation of Sanskrit proverbs and parables. The text features playful and satirical dialogue between Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, subtly mocking human naivety.

Bharat’s best, the intellectually enriching and great epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, also offer glimpses of satire through witty and sharp characters like Hanumana and Vidura, not just serving as a comic relief but rather a moral critique.

Though the most emblematic work of ancient Indian satire remains Panchatantra, a collection of animal fables composed around the 3rd Century BCE. While it presents itself as a guide to political wisdom and rational conduct to show people's feelings towards the likes and dislikes of an empire, its real genius lies in its ability to ridicule ignorance, arrogance, and misplaced authority through a carefully crafted and layered anthropomorphic humour.

THE HOLY TRINITY OF SATIRE IN MEDIEVAL INDIA

The vision of medieval India is often imprinted in the minds of its scholars as an era with monumental architecture, dynastic wars, invasions, and imperial power struggles. Yet beneath all the terrifying history lies a lesser-known legacy- the tradition of satire tied delicately into courtly culture. Often overlooked by the educated Indian class is the fact that humour and satire were well-woven into the political cover of administration.

Medieval India highlights the existence of three kingdoms existing side by side: the Mughal empire in the north, the Vijayankar kingdom in the south, and the Krishnanagar royal estate. Prominent satirists among all three of them were Tenali Rama of the Vijayanagar Empire, Birbal of the Mughal Court, and Gopal Bhar of Bengal’s Krishnanagar Raj.

Though separated by geography and empires, the three of them had one common thread: satire as a civilised form of dissent. Tenali Rama comes earliest in this trinity. He was conferred the title of Vikata Kavi, which means the comic poet, after the successful completion of training for the Ashta Diggajas, which translates to the Eight Scholars in Krishnadevaraya’s court. 

Next in the chronological order was Birbal, known to be among the brightest of Akbar’s courtiers. The name ‘Birbal’ was a gift awarded to him by the Mughal Emperor Akbar; he was originally called Mahesh Das, born in 1528 in a Hindu Brahmabhatt family.

Gopal Bhar was the court jester of Raja Krishnachandra of Nadia, which is the present-day Krishnanagar. He was a man associated with high intellect and wit and was a well-respected member in the Krishnagar Raj.

COLONISERS TAKE THE PUNCH

In the medieval period, satire lingered in royal courts through riddles and repartee. In the 19th century came the colonial era, the most difficult and unfair period for the nation. When royalties were torn apart, and the exploitative rule of the Britishers was a new normal, satire flourished too, even in this hybrid space of contradiction.  The contradiction lay in the fact that while the very structures of Indian sovereignty and liberties were being dismantled by colonial rule, satire, a form of self-expression which is often suppressed under autocracy, found unexpected air.

For colonial India, mockery and mimicry collaborated with one another. The early Indian satirical press, Oudh Punch (1877) and Hindi Punch (1878), were inspired by the British Punch Magazine. History has a sense of humour, and when irony paints it, the result is this. What started as an imitation soon turned into a powerful tool of resistance and rebellion.

It helped in resetting the narrative. The British Magazines during the period represented Indian customs and public life in a manner that would satisfy their Imperial ego: in mannerisms of mockery, as inept figures of derision. The objective behind the European satire was to amuse their officials and uphold colonial superiority.

Publications like the Hindi Punch or the Oudh Punch emerged as a revolutionary change, not only directing their satire against colonial rule but also against Indian social hierarchies. They had borrowed the aesthetic- the caricature, the prop, and the quirky captions but had inverted the target of ridicule. 

CONCLUSION

From mythic dialogues in ancient texts to the sharp retorts of court jesters, from the caricatures that fuelled rebellion in the colonial period to today’s memes, what has stayed is satire, not merely as an art form but as a quiet and persistent rebellion. Across centuries, satire has stood as a strong force. It had pierced through colonial deceit, lent voice to nationalist stirrings, and above all and most importantly, compelled a hesitant society to confront the truths that it had long preferred to ignore.

---

BY PREETU MAHARSHI

CENTRE FOR HISTORY AND CULTURE

TEAM GEOSTRATA

info@thegeostrata.com