universal truths that every person can relate to. It is in these universal truths that a good comedy routine thrives on and is able to transcend culture, race, and even time. Sivakumar Thiyagarajan observes that a good comedy routine comes from a believable premise that people can understand or agree on.

Sivakumar Thiyagarajan loves comedy. Comedy is not a science, it's art. Therefore Sivakumar Thiyagarajan believes there are no rules and it can be very subjective – what is funny for one may not be funny for another. Sivakumar Thiyagarajan finds that when one analyzes comedy for what is funny, all of the funniness disappears – it is like going through the recipe to find the secret ingredient for a tasty meal.

Sivakumar Thiyagarajan likes comedy that captures a moment or contains an element of simple truth or it is something that we have always known for eternity and yet are hearing it now out loud for the first time. Comedy is full of opposites and contradictions. Sivakumar Thiyagarajan prefers high comedy using clever characterizations and complex situations.

Sivakumar Thiyagarajan has repeatedly seen how good timing elevates a joke whereas bad timing brings down the effect several notches. A beat is effectively used by a comedian to enhance a joke - sometime after the punch line to enable the audience time to react and get the joke, but often a pause is placed before a line to build expectation. Sivakumar Thiyagarajan has also seen better comedy use double punch line - the punch line is delivered, the audience laughs and a second punch line follows on that the audience weren't expecting.

Learning to be funny is one of the most difficult writing skills to master. Sivakumar Thiyagarajan believes that anyone who at least possesses a sense of humor, anyone who likes jokes and laughs a lot, can learn to be funnier. In his interaction with a professional comedian, Sivakumar Thiyagarajan was told that few things are necessary for creating comedy - being specific, reflecting the culture of the audience, showing the funny side of universal situation, throwing a surprise, self-deprecation, poking fun at rules, spoofing, word play etc.

Sivakumar Thiyagarajan is aware that like any kind of writing, comedic writing takes practice to get right. And like any kind of writing, it is mastered by some people after just a little practice, while it takes others a lot of work for others.