Latest news with #CJ
Time of India
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'This show was to say that I'm not dead yet': Papa CJ
Papa CJ's return to Kolkata on Sunday wasn't just another tour stop — it felt more like a long-delayed catch-up with a city that knows him better than most. And in classic Kolkata fashion, the evening delivered a little of everything: nostalgia, full-throated laughs, slightly awkward audience confessions, and that one uncle who took the crowd mic a little too seriously. A passport full of stories — but Kolkata's still the one Having performed in over 40 countries, Papa CJ brought with him not just jokes but luggage full of lived experience — from the strange intimacy of performing for Russian oligarchs to being handed a mic in a prison. And yet, it was his Kolkata references — the nostalgia-soaked ones — that got the biggest cheers. 'This city taught me how to survive middle-class chaos and still laugh,' he hinted, each punchline landing with the warmth of an inside joke. A night of jokes, jolts, and just enough vulnerability The stories came thick and fast — falling off cliffs in Ladakh, heartbreaks in hotel rooms, gigs with fevers that should've had him in bed, not on stage. But they weren't there for applause or sympathy. CJ's specialty is turning life's worst punchlines into actual punchlines — breakups become scripts, fractures become shows. He doesn't preach it, but the message is there: if life throws a brick at you, find the funny and throw it back. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Take a Look - How Watching Videos Can Boost Your Income TheDaddest Undo 'In the end, I'm a man of comedy. No matter what life throws, I'll find the punchline.'- Papa CJ More than comedy At points, the set felt like open mic night for the audience too. Hands shot up, questions flew, and CJ let the chaos in — sometimes steering it, sometimes just watching it unfold. It was part stand-up, part group chat, and somehow, it all held together. Especially that moment when he deadpanned, 'I'm not dead yet.' A joke, yes. But also a thesis for the night. CJ never said it outright, but the subtext was loud: survival is funnier in hindsight — especially if you're holding a mic. "Also for those of you who don't know I actually grew up in Calcutta. I lived here for 19 years and anywhere in the world where I go people ask me where are you from? I tell them I live in Delhi now, but I am from Calcutta. So it's wonderful to be back here."- Papa CJ
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Video: Bernese Mountain Dog Turns Into a Fluffy ‘Cloud' After First Bath
An adorable video shared a look at how a Bernese Mountain Dog turned into a fluffy 'cloud' after his first bath. A fur baby named CJ, which is short for Chicken Junior, had everyone wishing they could pet him after the clip went viral. The sweet dog has been winning hearts on the internet with his adventures in New York City. While CJ's Instagram page, which has almost 26K followers, is packed with a series of fun shenanigans, it is his after-bath video that continues to garner attention. Bernese Mountain Dog's fur coat looks like a 'cloud' in adorable Instagram video CJ, a Bernese Mountain Dog, couldn't have looked more adorable as his owner showed the after-bath effects on his fur coat in a sweet video. The puppy undoubtedly looked like a walking 'Baby cloud,' like his mama described in the viral Instagram Reel's caption. The video showed CJ looking like a fluffball while having his meal in a corner. The pup's owner captured the adorable moment. CJ seemingly even realized he was getting filmed, despite his head being down in the bowl. The canine turned around to see what his mama was up to. This is when the owner gushed and said, 'CJ, you looked so fluffy!' The puppy then returned to his bowl while his mama continued filming. They continued to share a close look at the fluffy 'cloud.' CJ's owner still couldn't get enough of how adorable he looked. The dog's mama said again, 'Look at you,' and added, 'You look so good.' CJ's focus was clearly on his meal as his head remained inside the bowl. Moreover, the Bernese Mountain Dog's face was barely visible, and it made him look even more like a 'cloud.' Meanwhile, the cute moment has racked up almost six million views on Instagram. Just like CJ's mama, netizens, too, couldn't help but gush over the fluffy boy. One commented, 'can i pet dat [that] dawg.' Another user wondered about what 'shampoo' CJ was using. Many others continued to gush over how fluffy the puppy looked. The post Video: Bernese Mountain Dog Turns Into a Fluffy 'Cloud' After First Bath appeared first on DogTime. Solve the daily Crossword
Hans India
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
HC directs govt to file status report on Sigachi disaster by Aug 27
Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court division bench of CJ Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice P Sam Koshy on Thursday directed the government to file a comprehensive status report on the Sigachi factory disaster at Patancheru furnishing details of paying compensation to the kin of the 46 deceased workers, seriously injured and others and action taken against the management. Vasudha Nagaraj, counsel for the petitioner, informed the CJ court that 46 workers were declared dead, 28 suffered serious injuries and eight workers were declared missing in the disaster on July 1. The government has not paid the assured full and final compensation of Rs. 1 crore to each deceased family members; no action has been initiated against the management. The CJ, after hearing the counsel and the Additional A-G T Rajnikanth Reddy, enquired about the case registered against Sigachi and the stage of investigation; whether any arrests were made. The GP for Home Mahesh Raje informed no arrests were made. The CJ court, during the hearing observed that the government should not treat this PIL as an adversarial litigation, but it should put in all its endeavours to extend all facilities to the families of all deceased workers, who hail from Bihar, MP and other States. The bench heard the PIL filed by K Babu Rao, a retired scientist, seeking a direction to the government to pay full and final ex-gratia of Rs. 1 crore to each of deceased workers kin. The petitioner urged the court to instruct the government to ensure strict monitoring of industrial safety measures to prevent such tragedies. Hearing in the case was adjourned to August 27.
Indian Express
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Sigachi factory blast: ‘It's a wake-up call,' Telangana HC says let law take its course, but ensure regulatory regime is strengthened
The Telangana High Court Thursday sought detailed affidavits from respective departments in three weeks regarding the explosion at Sigachi factory in Sangareddy district last month. The division bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G M Mohiuddin gave the direction while dealing with a public interest litigation (PIL) that sought a speedy investigation into the cause of the accident and the grant of compensation, among others, to the victims' kin. Forty-eight people died and eight people are missing since the Sigachi factory explosion. The bench stated that the affidavits should contain maximum details regarding the accident, steps taken so far, findings of committees, compensation paid so far, etc, while also stressing the need to mention the specific industrial and environmental laws that are applicable in the case. The petitioner contended that there have been no arrests in the case so far, compensation amounts have not been paid to the victims' kin, and that the investigation was not moving forward. The petition also sought that the case be transferred to a special investigation team (SIT) and that the reports furnished by the high-powered committees be released. The counsel for the petitioner pointed out that in a similar industrial accident in Andhra Pradesh on August 24, 2024, the state stood by the 16 deceased workers and made sure that the company paid Rs 1 crore compensation to their kin the very next day itself. After hearing the points raised by the petitioner's counsel, the Chief Justice observed that the court was more worried about the actions that need to be taken and, therefore, needed to know from the departments impleaded in the case what action was being taken in 'a tragedy of such a magnitude'. The counsel representing the state said the government appointed a six-member committee headed by the Chief Secretary on the same day of the accident. While the preliminary report was submitted, the state was awaiting the final inquiry report. The state government has also constituted an expert committee, whose findings are also awaited. The counsel added that 29 families of the deceased workers have been paid Rs 25 lakh each by the company, and the rest of the families were being paid the compensation amount today (Thursday). He also said that the state was giving Rs 10 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 5 lakh to the injured. Asked by the Chief Justice (CJ) if anyone has been apprehended so far in the case, the counsel replied in the negative. Responding to another question from the CJ, the counsel said only 11 workers were covered under the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, and the rest were covered under the Employees' Compensation Act. The CJ then wanted to know the relevant laws and if action had been initiated against those responsible under each of the laws or not. 'The experience is that, in such cases, when detected due to some unfortunate incidents, it comes to light that the factory is showing only 10-20 workers, which is the minimum requirement of taking a license or showing it to the ESIC or provident fund authorities. But, actually, they are engaging many more poor people who don't know their entitlements under different industrial laws. So, this is the larger issue required to be regulated by the agencies,' the CJ observed. He then said, 'It does not happen suddenly overnight. It is because of lapses at different levels in the (regulatory) regime that these incidents happen. So, the outlook when we entertain such PILs is not only to find out the real cause and ensure that the law takes its own course, but to ensure that the regulatory regime under the different laws are actually enforced in respect of other such industries/factories operating within the state, in particular. 'This is a wake-up call. The scale of which is quite huge. That day, we were seeing in the news that every hour the count was going up. I didn't know I would have to deal with the PIL here. The agony is of all of us. As officers of the court and also representing the respective departments or boards. it is the duty of all of us to ensure that not only is action taken as per law, but also the regulatory regime becomes more strengthened. Then only it will happen.' Rahul V Pisharody is an Assistant Editor with the Indian Express Online and has been reporting from Telangana on various issues since 2019. Besides a focused approach to big news developments, Rahul has a keen interest in stories about Hyderabad and its inhabitants and looks out for interesting features on the city's heritage, environment, history culture etc. His articles are straightforward and simple reads in sync with the context. Rahul started his career as a journalist in 2011 with The New Indian Express and worked in different roles at the Hyderabad bureau for over 8 years. As Deputy Metro Editor, he was in charge of the Hyderabad bureau of the newspaper and coordinated with the team of district correspondents, centres and internet desk for over three years. A native of Palakkad in Kerala, Rahul has a Master's degree in Communication (Print and New Media) from the University of Hyderabad and a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from PSG College of Arts and Science, Coimbatore. Long motorcycle rides and travel photography are among his other interests. ... Read More
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Once the audience loves you, you can get away with murder : Papa CJ
'Kolkata is one of the most beautifully promiscuous cities in the world and so I give myself even more freedom to be mischievously playful, knowing that no matter what I say, someone will take me home.'- Papa CJ He's taken Indian comedy global, earning ovations from New York to New Zealand. But for Papa CJ, Still Standing Up is more than a tour-it's a homecoming. The world knows him as the sharp-tongued comic who once ruled the UK circuit. But here, he's the boy who cracked jokes during load-shedding. 'Kolkata lets me be wicked,' he says in a candid chat about growing up here, finding his voice, and never holding back. Let's dig in. 'If you grew up in Kolkata in the 80s with 18-hour power cuts, humour wasn't a luxury—it was survival.' Papa CJ doesn't just claim Kolkata, he wears it like a badge. 'I lived in Calcutta for 19 years and my heart belongs to the city,' he says. 'When I meet someone who's grown up here, the connect is instant—we're cut from the same cloth. The warmth, the resilience... you don't find that everywhere.' The comic instinct? Born in blackout. 'In those days, you had an inverter that let you run either two fans and a light, or one light and two fans. So you had no choice but to laugh through the absurdity.' 'Indian comedy was once a community. Now it's an industry.' He may be one of India's earliest stand-up pioneers, but CJ isn't nostalgic. 'When I launched the open mic scene in Delhi in 2009, we were a tight group of performers. Now it's a content economy. And that's great—because the internet has given so many comics a stage they might never have had.' Still, he's stayed loyal to the mic. 'I don't miss the old days. I do what I love—live stand-up. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas In Dubai | Search Ads Get Quote Undo That's where I thrive.' 'I haven't done a public tour in ages and this tour is just my way of telling the audience that I'm still here. Still slick. Still funny. Still savage'- Papa CJ 'That Kama Sutra joke wasn't to push boundaries. It was a love letter to India.' Long before it was cool to be edgy , Papa CJ dropped the line that made rooms gasp and howl in equal measure: 'I come from the land of the Kama Sutra. I can f * you in more ways than you can count.' But for him, it was less shock-jock, more soft power. 'Back in 2004, I was the only Indian comic in the UK. I wanted to represent India well. That joke? It wasn't about being crass. It was pride, served with punch.'As for cancel culture? He's never been caught in its claws. 'I do live shows—so people feel my intent, not just my words. Plus, I never punch down. I'll tease, I'll embarrass, but never hurt. 'And the secret to walking that line? 'Once the audience likes you, you can get away with murder,' he laughs. 'Even I'm surprised sometimes by the things they let me say.' 'They may not remember my name. But they remembered the Indian who made them laugh.' He's headlined Just For Laughs , Melbourne, Broadway, and more, proudly claiming many firsts as an Indian comic. But now, he doesn't wear the title like armour.'Earlier, I was very aware that I was representing my country. It reflected in my sets. Now? I just want to make people laugh. If they walk out happier than they walked in, I've done my job.'
