<p>Spend five minutes with the members of the Header and Footer Club (HAFC) from the Indian Institute of Science and you are most likely to find yourself roaring with laughter.<br />Humour is an essential element not only in their plays but also in the personality of the members. <br /><br /> Although the word ‘member’ is something they avoid. “We use it very loosely. Anybody who is enthusiastic about working with us can collaborate with us,” says Vyasa Shastry, one of the members of the club. <br /><br />The other people involved in the club are Raksha, Deepak, Subramanya Bhardwaj and Jitha Mitra, all of whom are PhD students in the institute. And they have collaborated with over 50 other people. <br /><br />“We have minimal hierarchy in the club,” says L N Rama Subramanyam, who is called Nada by his friends. “We like to avoid administrative responsibilities but the nuances of the society are such that you end up doing it. So we made it official and called it a club,” he says laughingly. Vyasa informs how the idea of the club came across. <br /><br />“We had many student clubs doing shows but not many having fun. And then we met this person, who wants to remain anonymous, who told us that ‘having fun seriously’ is the right way to go,” he says. </p>.<p>Why the name ‘Header and Footer’? “Because it is something that affects people from head to toe. Also, in terms of documentation there is always both a header and footer,” says Vyasa. <br /><br />Past events of the club include a stand-up comedy show, plays ranging from the classical ‘Sadarame’ and the self composition in English called ‘Safar’ and many others. “We take up general issues and stereotypes and look at them from a different angle,” says Nada. “All the activities are organised by the students, and the entry is free for the public,” says Vyasa. <br /><br />While it is clear that there are no rules and regulations, there are certain comfort zones which the members prefer working in. <br /><br />“Vyasa directs and writes. And I act and also help out with the ideas,” says Nada. “I also speak to the members, somewhat like an HR manager,” he adds. “Though I do act but now I do a lot of the logistics and production work,” says Raksha. “I act and also help out with the ideas and the dialogues,” says Deepak.<br /><br />“We write about the day-to-day life and we usually incorporate humour into it because humour is a powerful tool to say what you want to,” says Raksha. All of them being PhD students, how do they all manage their studies? “It’s all about time management,” says Deepak. <br /><br />“We produce shows depending upon the time we get. There is not too much stress in a comedy so that is good,” says Raksha. <br /></p>
<p>Spend five minutes with the members of the Header and Footer Club (HAFC) from the Indian Institute of Science and you are most likely to find yourself roaring with laughter.<br />Humour is an essential element not only in their plays but also in the personality of the members. <br /><br /> Although the word ‘member’ is something they avoid. “We use it very loosely. Anybody who is enthusiastic about working with us can collaborate with us,” says Vyasa Shastry, one of the members of the club. <br /><br />The other people involved in the club are Raksha, Deepak, Subramanya Bhardwaj and Jitha Mitra, all of whom are PhD students in the institute. And they have collaborated with over 50 other people. <br /><br />“We have minimal hierarchy in the club,” says L N Rama Subramanyam, who is called Nada by his friends. “We like to avoid administrative responsibilities but the nuances of the society are such that you end up doing it. So we made it official and called it a club,” he says laughingly. Vyasa informs how the idea of the club came across. <br /><br />“We had many student clubs doing shows but not many having fun. And then we met this person, who wants to remain anonymous, who told us that ‘having fun seriously’ is the right way to go,” he says. </p>.<p>Why the name ‘Header and Footer’? “Because it is something that affects people from head to toe. Also, in terms of documentation there is always both a header and footer,” says Vyasa. <br /><br />Past events of the club include a stand-up comedy show, plays ranging from the classical ‘Sadarame’ and the self composition in English called ‘Safar’ and many others. “We take up general issues and stereotypes and look at them from a different angle,” says Nada. “All the activities are organised by the students, and the entry is free for the public,” says Vyasa. <br /><br />While it is clear that there are no rules and regulations, there are certain comfort zones which the members prefer working in. <br /><br />“Vyasa directs and writes. And I act and also help out with the ideas,” says Nada. “I also speak to the members, somewhat like an HR manager,” he adds. “Though I do act but now I do a lot of the logistics and production work,” says Raksha. “I act and also help out with the ideas and the dialogues,” says Deepak.<br /><br />“We write about the day-to-day life and we usually incorporate humour into it because humour is a powerful tool to say what you want to,” says Raksha. All of them being PhD students, how do they all manage their studies? “It’s all about time management,” says Deepak. <br /><br />“We produce shows depending upon the time we get. There is not too much stress in a comedy so that is good,” says Raksha. <br /></p>
