Comedian Raju Srivastava leaves behind legacy of jokes, joy and laughter

Comedianactor Raju Srivastava breathed his last breath at the age of 58 on Wednesday at AIIMS Delhi after being admitted there following a heart attack on August 10Raju who received widespread recognition after participating in the first season of the standup comedy show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in 2005 was part of the Indian entertainment industry since the late 1980sBorn Satya Prakash Srivastava on December 25 1963 to a middleclass family in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh his father Ramesh Chandra Srivastava was a poet known as Balai Kaka Since his childhood Raju was fond of doing mimicry which is why he wanted to be a comedianAfter completing his early studies in Kanpur Raju shifted to Mumbai with the dream of becoming a comedian He started his career by doing small roles in Bollywood filmsThe first part he played was in the 1998 film Tezaab which was followed by the 1989 Salman Khan starrer Maine Pyaar Kiya and Baazigar in 1993 Apart from these he also worked in Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiyaa Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon Big Brother and Bombay to Goa among several other filmsOn July 1 1993 Raju married Shikha from Lucknow and the duo had two children Antara and AyushmanRaju then decided to venture into standup comedy after he took part as a contestant in Star Ones show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in 2005 where his comedy got a new identity He bagged the first runnerup place in the showDuring his stint on the show and even after that Raju who was known most for his acute scrutiny and comical timing about various Indian aspects of life became very popular for his stage character Gajodhar BhaiyaSubsequently he also took part in the shows spinoff The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Champions where he won the title of The King of ComedyAfter gaining popularity as a comedian he worked in TV shows like Bigg Boss Comedy Circus Raju Hazir Ho Comedy Ka Maha Muqabala and Laugh India Laugh In 2009 he participated in Colors TVs dance reality show Nach Baliye as a dance couple with his wife Shikha Raju also appeared on Comedy Nights with KapilAfter conquering the world of comedy and making a permanent place in his audiences heart he also expanded his reigns in politics For the 2014 Lok Sabha election the Samajwadi Party fielded him from KanpurHowever Raju returned the ticket on March 11 2014 stating he was not getting enough support from the partys local units Following this on March 19 2014 he joined the Bhartiya Janta Party where Prime Minister Narendra Modi nominated him to be part of the Swachh Bharat AbhiyanSince then through his events in different cities Raju promoted cleanliness and made various music videos for the cause He also shot various TV commercials and social service message videos for Swachh Bharat AbhiyanThe comedian was admitted to the hospital on August 10 after a heart attack He was experiencing chest pain and collapsed while working out at the gym Post this his trainer took him to the hospitalReportedly the 58yearold was running on the treadmill when he complained about chest pain He underwent an angioplasty the same day After staying on the ventilator for several weeks he finally passed away on September 21In a world where people struggle with sorrows and disappointments on a daily basis Raju Srivastavas comedy brought that muchneeded spark of laughter to the common Indian Though the ace comedian will never crack a joke again his legacy of jokes laughter and joy will continue to live for generations to comeAlso ReadRaju Srivastava passes away at the age of 58