Comedian Punit Pania is all set to deliver a very special performance on Sunday, 21 April, which will also serve as his “love letter to Mumbai.” The performance aims at raising awareness about the climate crisis that the city is currently facing, be it the unbearable heat waves or the unrelenting and irregular rains. Pania’s performance is a part of Mumbai Climate Now, a community initiative led by G5A—taking place from 17-21 April at their warehouse in the city’s Mahalaxmi area—to highlight the immediate issues regarding climate change and what are the necessary measures to curb it.

A very special performance in Mumbai, for Mumbai @g5afoundation this Sunday
Entry free, register here: https://t.co/dAWNKuAu2B
This is a cause I feel very strongly about in a city that is my de facto hometown. Please tell your environmentally conscious friends and Bumble matches. pic.twitter.com/jQtUaUdMdy

— Punit Pania (@Punit_Pania) April 16, 2024

In addition to comedy, the initiative also relies on various other artforms to create a lasting impact including dramatic readings, art installations, poetry, panel discussions and more. The lineup includes names such as Javed Akhtar, Naseeruddin Shah, Bhagyashree Tarke and Dia Mirza.

As someone who has spent all his life in Mumbai, Pania is looking forward to being a part of this effort to make his hometown a better place. We caught up with him to understand more about the material he’ll be performing and the changes he hopes to see in city.

1. What are some of the things that you’ll be touching upon in your performance?

The theme is “my love letter to Mumbai.” And to be honest, Mumbai has become an estranged lover at best because this is not the city I grew up in. I think the tone will be bittersweet. Obviously, the overarching theme is climate change and it’s probable that a chunk of the city will be under the sea by 2050. With that theme in mind, my performance will be about me and my place in this city and what the concerned citizens can do to help Mumbai.

2. How can the arts help tackle issues such as climate change?

The main message of the event is that Mumbai is sinking and by 2050 a major part of the city will be under water. The point is everyone needs to be sympathetic towards the cause and art is a great way of making that happen. We are at a point where even the most ignorant people can’t deny that the climate is getting worse by the day. So this project aims at making participation easier for people. I firmly believe that you can talk about anything in standup as long as you can make it funny. Of course, in music, poetry, plays you can touch upon a lot of emotions as opposed to standup where the key emotion is laughter. But even then you can slip in your point of view and that’s something I’ve always tried to do in my standup.

3. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT COMEDY CAN HELP SOFTEN THE BLOW WHEN IT COMES TO SUCH DIFFICULT ISSUES, AND GET PEOPLE TO ENGAGE FURTHER?

I’ve always believed that comedy can make a difference no matter how unpalatable the topic is because we can sweeten the blow with humour. But the past 10 years have proven us wrong. I think what works more than art is simply volume, reputation and propaganda. No matter how great the art is, if you are up against something that has a higher reputation in society then the artist’s voice gets drowned out. But at the end of the day, art is not here to compete on a battlefield. You are here to say your piece. In a rather poetic way, that’s the least you can do and the most you can do.

4. As someone who has grown up in Mumbai, how much worse has the climate gotten in the city over the years?

Mumbai always had extremes of summer and heavy monsoons. But in the past several years we’ve seen the rains become a lot more erratic and the heat is becoming unbearable. Clearly it’s because of the construction activities going on in the city. Of course, we also don’t follow any of the norms. So we’re bound to suffer. Every day, Google just shows one type of weather in the city—haze. And because I travel for work, I’ve noticed that a lot of other cities are a lot more liveable now. Earlier, people used to come here to settle down because of the opportunities, jobs and standard of living the city provided. But having said that, as someone who was born and raised here, I can’t help but have an emotional connect with the city.

5. One immediate thing that we can do as residents of this city to begin fixing this problem.

It’s very easy to give up and say what can one person do in the face of such humongous odds. But like honesty, good environmental practices are also something that is needed in the city. Especially when nobody is watching. Use public transport. Don’t be wasteful. Be vigilant of things that are happening around you. Ask questions. Yes, it’s easier said than done but you can’t sleepwalk through life as a citizen and expect to have a world-class city around you. It takes everybody’s participation for this to work. It’s always baby steps. And people need to show up for the various initiatives taking place in the city. It all adds up eventually.