Harpriya Bains is an Indian saree-clad comedian challenging stereotypes with her hilarious take on housewives and societal expectations.
In her performances, Harpriya hilariously dissects the term ‘housewife’ and questions the societal expectations placed on women. She cleverly points out how the term has been “rebranded” in the name of women empowerment, only to reduce housewives to the role of mere appliances—a homemaker. Through her comedy, she highlights the absurdity of Indian patriarchy and the pressures faced by women in Desi households.
Talking about her achievements, she has performed at numerous comedy clubs, events, and festivals, captivating audiences with her hilarious routines. Featured in popular comedy shows and platforms, earning her a dedicated following. Her solo stand-up show, Carry On Mummy is famous among audiences, and her performances are loved and appreciated.
Namita Nayyar:
You took up the career of a stand-up comedian at 39. What gave you the idea for the same, and how did it happen
Harpriya Bains:
My stand-up journey didn’t just start out of a hidden passion or a ‘dream big’ scenario. It was more like a call of a ‘desperate housewife’ trying to make herself heard. I always loved watching stand-up shows and found it an excellent medium to not just express your point of view but also show society its own reflection in a lighter, more accepting format which sets them thinking about what’s really going on and maybe subtly accepting that some things need to change.
After watching so many married stand-up comedians (mostly all men) joke merrily about marriage and their wives (with all due respect to the great comedy they are doing), I always wondered, where is the wife’s point of view? Juggling a home, husband, kids, extended families, a career, dogs, and of course the “patriarchy’’ drives us all crazy every day, yet we start afresh all over again every single day not just with a smile but brave enough to laugh at ourselves and at all jokes made on us. This is it, I thought. It’s time to get my funny side up and bring out the hilarious tales from our homes thus at the ‘mid-life crisis’ age of almost 40 when your husband and kids don’t really care what you say, I began my journey to find strangers who would not just listen to me but maybe also laugh at my jokes.
Namita Nayyar:
How did your first open mic show turn out, and where did it happen?
Harpriya Bains:
I did my first open mic at Hyderabad back in 2018 at a comedy club where I got a 5 minutes spot. I think I had the beginners’ luck on my side, as the mic went off really well. I got a lot of laughter and even claps. I did another one the very next day where I totally bombed though. But even with 2 entirely different experiences in 2 consecutive days, I decided to stick to the former and never looked back.
Namita Nayyar:
What is the genre of comedy you practice? How do you go about preparing for the same?
Harpriya Bains:
My comedy is mainly observational with a blend of storytelling. As I began to dig deeper into the world of comedy, I realized that although there are now many great female comedians in India, but hardly any are married, let alone have kids. So, the married woman and mom’s point of view is hardly talked about.
There is so much fun and drama in the day-to-day life of a wife and mother that I didn’t need to do engineering for content at all. My inspiration came from all the women I could think of -moms and moms-in-law, sisters and sister-in-laws, dadis and nanis, masis and mamis, friends and foes because honestly somewhere our stories are all connected. It came from the daily life of a normal Indian housewife and mother with pun ‘intended’ against the hypocrisy of our patriarchy. My comedy was fresh and ‘home-made’.
There was now a strong urge to share some load off every woman, in my own little way, by making them laugh at our everyday struggles and get a feel that we are in this together. I knew I had a reasonable amount of confidence, stage experience, and a gift of the gab so I began to weave my comic stories around my own life with inspirations from all the women around me.
Namita Nayyar:
Share a deeper insight about your education, personal and professional life.
Harpriya Bains:
I am a 3rd generation army kid and am now married to an army officer. I have moved to various cities and schools but mainly studied in boarding during my senior classes at Maharani Gayatri Devi School, Jaipur. I did my Bachelors in Business Administration from Apeejay College Jallandhar, since my father had retired by that time and Jallandhar is my home town so we had planned to settle there. I went on to do my postgraduate diploma in Image management from Delhi. which I began a career in the advertising industry. I worked for about 3 years before I got married to an Army officer and moved to different cities with him.
A few years down the line, we began our family and became parents to two lovely daughters. I also pursued an online job with an information management company for 7 years during this time. I’m also a watercolor artist and resumed my painting journey again. I have displayed and sold my artworks at various individual and group art exhibitions at prestigious venues like the India Habitat Centre and AIFACS, Delhi.
Being an Army wife, I have had the opportunity to travel across India and so all my art forms are very close to my heart as they are a reflection of my journey as a woman, as a comic, and as an artist and are a little bit part of me and the memories I built along the way.
Namita Nayyar:
How has your family contributed to the profession you seem to enjoy?
Harpriya Bains:
I have to give credit to my husband and two daughters for their endless support. Although they are often my punching bag and the centre of my jokes, I must say, they have been sporting enough to take them all with a big heart. My daughters always ask me how many laughs I got in a show and are just waiting for me to make it ‘big’ so I can be rich enough to buy them a house in Miami while my husband patiently encourages me every time I step out for a show by saying “Jaa Simran Jaa, jee le apni zindagi!!” But in case you are wondering if he laughs at my jokes, well you know he’s the quiet kinda’ guy. So, if I waited for him to laugh, I would probably never have a career in comedy.
But honestly, I am glad they are the way they are, or elsewhere would I get my content from? My parents and in-laws are also extremely encouraging and proud of my work and are always there to support me and be there for me and my kids whenever I need to travel for work.
Namita Nayyar:
How do you like to kick-start your day? Any workout routine you follow, please share.
Harpriya Bains:
I believe good health and self-discipline are as much important to success as creativity and intelligence. Although I’m not a hardcore gym person, I do follow a fairly disciplined morning routine to kick-start my day. I’m an early riser and start my day at 5.30 am with a glass of water, soaked raisins, and almonds followed by morning tea with a Parle G biscuit. I usually write my morning pages while having tea. It’s an excellent practice I’ve started very recently and totally love how it clears a lot of clutter in your mind right at the start of the day.
I then pray for about 15 minutes followed by a 10-minute guided morning meditation. After packing the kid’s tiffins and sending them off to school, I then eat fruit and either do yoga or go for a walk for about 30 to 45 minutes. And that’s it! Then I get ready, have breakfast and I’m all set for the day. Of course, I do have my weekend cheat days where I may skip a few steps😊
Namita Nayyar:
What kind of diet do you follow to stay healthy & beautiful? 5 foods you love to eat.
Harpriya Bains:
I love to eat. My portions may be small but I enjoy everything from homemade rajma chawal to a nice chinese or Thai meal. My everyday diet includes eggs, toast, nuts, and green tea for breakfast. In winter, mostly land up eating a nice green parantha or missi bajra/jawar roti instead of toast for breakfast.
Lunch mostly comprises daal/rajma/channa, seasonal vegetables, roti/poori, salad, and curd. One thing which is included in my lunch almost every day of my life is one last roti with ghee & shakkar or white makhan/malai & Shakkar. And trust me, you will always see dollops of ghee or makhan. I am a Sardarni, and shakkar and gud are like a staple diet in our homes since I also have a sweet tooth, I can simply never have enough of ghee shakkar, guilt-free and fearlessly!
Dinner usually includes chicken or fish, stir-fried vegetables or cutlets with rice or pasta or noodles – mostly made as per popular kid’s choice😊
At bedtime, I have a cup of hot water boiled with cinnamon, nutmeg, and fennel seeds which is good for digestion and sleep.
11 am is snack time when I usually have a fruit and nimbu paani and homemade cake or cookies or good ‘ol Parle G biscuits with my evening tea at 5 pm.
My 5 favourite foods:
- Mangoes (Mainly Langra)
- Chicken – any form
- Roti with Makhan/ghee & Shakkar
- Goan Seafood thali
- Kaala Chaana with rice
Namita Nayyar:
There are times when one is booed off stage or says a bad day. How do you go about handling the same?
Harpriya Bains:
Like all new journeys, this wasn’t an easy one too and I can tell you one thing for sure that making people laugh is one serious business! I have spent almost the last 4 years writing and rewriting my scripts, testing each joke in several open mics, facing the embarrassment of jokes falling flat and bombing on stage, facing hecklers and comments like ‘aye aunty….go back to your kitty party’, chasing comedy clubs for mic time, chasing friends and family to come to see your show. But most of all, finding time to write and rehearse peacefully in the midst of endless household chores and 2 years of the covid situation. And since comedy clubs only work at night after 6 or 8 pm, very often, my husband would get back from work around 7 pm and I would grab the car keys and run off at 7.30 pm. But I can proudly say, that no matter what the obstacles or the pace, I am loving each step of the way as I know now that this is my calling.
There have been many setbacks and blank moments on the stage, and I am sure there will be more, but they have only motivated me to write better, practice more and get back on track. There is no success that comes without failure. And the sooner, you accept that, the faster you learn, move on, and grow. I absolutely love being on stage and the sound of laughter and clapping from the audience is now music to my ears. My heart skips a beat every time someone from the audience comes up to me and says ‘you nailed it’ or ‘we loved your set’. I am grateful for all the appreciation I get which is far more valuable than a couple of hecklers who are best ignored.
Namita Nayyar:
What is your advice for women who admire and follow you on aging gracefully?
Harpriya Bains:
I believe women have immense power, talent, and discipline to achieve whatever they want whenever they want and age is just a number. In fact, I would say, the older we get, the wiser and more resilient we get to handle any challenge that comes our way, we have the experience to deal with failures and setbacks with grace and have the courage to bounce back with dignity. But as we find our own path, we as women must hold the hands of other women also and support each other’s journey. I always say we are in this together and as long as we have each other’s back, no one can stop us from looking beyond the horizon.
Namita Nayyar:
Quote, you live by.
Harpriya Bains:
You get in life, what you have the courage to ask for. – Oprah Winfrey.