When He Laughed, It Seemed The World Is Alright

From
having
a
heart
attack
in
the
gym
to
being
on
a
ventilator
in
AIIMS
hospital,
legendary
comedian
Raju
Srivastava
(Raju
Srivastav)
was
fighting
a
month-long
battle
for
life.
Unfortunately,
the
battle
ended
when
he
breathed
his
last
today
(September
21).
As
soon
as
the
news
of
his
demise
broke
out,
the
digital
space
was
flooded
with
comments
of
disbelief
and
condolences.
Many
of
Raju’s
colleagues
and
peers
expressed
their
sadness
on
various
social
media
handles.
One
of
the
most
prominent
among
them
was
his

The
Great
Indian
Laughter
Challenge
co-contestant,
colleague,
and
life-long
friend,
Sunil
Pal.

Ever
since
Pal
heard
that
Raju
was
admitted
to
the
hospital,
he
stayed
in
touch
with
the
Srivastava
family.
In
an
interview
with
Indian
Express,
Sunil
said
that
he
kept
trying
to
understand
how
everything
happened
so
suddenly,
as
Raju
always
stayed
fit.
He
always
prayed
for
him
and
is
in
disbelief
about
his
demise.
He
added,
“I
was,
like
everybody,
hoping
for
a
miracle.
He
fought
this
battle
for
a
long
time.
Somehow,
I
still
remember
his
fun
side.
I
can
hear
his
laughter
in
my
mind.
When
he
laughed,
it
seemed
the
world
is
alright.”

Remembering
their
stint
at

The
Great
Indian
Laughter
Challenge,
Pal
said
that
although
he
won,
Raju
Srivastava
was
his
mentor
in
all
senses.
He
was
a
school
of
comedy
that
everyone
looked
up
to.
He
would
handle
every
situation
in
life,
be
it
happy
or
sad,
with
a
joke.
He
quipped,
“I’m
sure
he’s
making
jokes
on
his
death
from
heaven
even
right
now.”
Sunil
shared
how
Raju
would
write
and
share
jokes
with
him.
Although
he
was
senior
to
Pal,
he
was
always
open
to
feedback
and
asked
for
an
honest
opinion.
He
would
even
know
when
a
person
fake-laughs
at
his
jokes.

Talking
about
Raju
Srivastava’s
gold-hearted
nature,
Sunil
shared
that
he
was
not
someone
who
would
work
only
for
himself
but
strongly
believed
in
giving
back
to
the
community.
He
said,
“Raju
Bhai
would
treat
his
juniors
with
love
and
encouragement.
He
helped
them
find
gigs.
He
even
aided
them
financially
and
made
sure
that
they
are
paid
on
time
and
paid
well.
He
brought
a
lot
of
good
changes
in
the
comedy
circle.”

Sunil
stated
that
he
will
only
remember
Raju
Srivastava
as
a
happy
person
who
made
everyone
happy,
claiming
that
the
whole
comedy
fraternity
will
miss
him.
“I
am
sad
that
the
new
generation
of
comedians
will
never
be
able
to
watch
him
perform
live.
We’ll
miss
his
jokes.”