Humour in real life

Sometime back, I had gone for a press event. As part of the evening's entertainment, there were three caricaturists on hand. They were making caricatures of all the guests in a jiffy, and the guests got to take those back home as a token. Humour, one of them happened to say, is the funniest thing to work with, so output comes easy to him. "The moment I see someone standing in front of me, I start sizing that person up and down - humorously. By the time he or she sits down to get sketched, I already know what I want to do with him/her." Caricaturists are no longer confined to a niche, like they used to be; as more and more of us look around for humour in real life, we are tempted to see our 'funny face'- and it's no longer the privilege (or bane!) of those in the public glare. Meet some of them in this week's cover story, and share a good laugh.
One of my friends is gluten-intolerant. Every time we go out for a meal, there's always this problem about identifying a restaurant that serves food which will be up his street; we have to call in advance and find out options. Now, this guy's only gluten-intolerant; there are broader-ranged dietary restrictions that can make one stay away from anything on the dining table. How do these folks manage to eat well? We find out!
Steve Raymer is a National Geographic photographer, who's been capturing shades of Arabia (among a whole lot of other landscapes). He speaks to us about dispelling myths about this part of the world, and how his photo-journeys have made him wiser and happier. Bollywood pays tribute to the late, great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who's shaped so much of the film music that's in evidence these days. Travel takes us all the way (up) inside The Shard in London. Kitchen Classics boasts of the taste of Armenia.
All this and much more.
Enjoy reading wknd. and have a great weekend.