21 May - Laughter Therapy - Riddles That Stumped the Studio, Morning Laughs With the Kids - Ranjodh Singh
Host:-
Ranjodh Singh
Kids, riddles, and a live Surjit Bindrakhia classic — Laughter Therapy on Radio Haanji 1674 AM brings Melbourne's Punjabi community together every morning.
Every weekday morning, before the school bags are zipped and the lunches are packed, Melbourne's Punjabi community tunes in to one place for their daily dose of joy — Laughter Therapy on Radio Haanji 1674 AM. On 20 May 2026, host Ranjodh Singh opened the mic to the kids, the callers, and one very energetic morning that delivered riddles nobody could crack, a live performance of a Surjit Bindrakhia classic, and enough laughter to carry the whole community through the day. This is what happened.
Catch up on every episode at the Laughter Therapy podcast page on Radio Haanji.
The Morning That Started With a Blocked Nose and a Lost Key
Before a single caller had shared a joke, Ranjodh Singh had already provided the morning's first laugh — entirely by accident. He had carefully locked up the night before, arrived at the studio, and only then realised the key was sitting at home. His nose was blocked too. Two things locked, zero regrets. "ਹੱਸ ਹੱਸ ਕੇ ਖੋਲ੍ਹ ਲੈਂਦੇ ਆਂ" — we'll laugh our way through it — and that spirit set the tone for everything that followed.
Mannat's Joke: Two Hours of Shopping, Not One Rupee Spent
First on the line was young Mannat, who delivered a husband-wife joke that landed perfectly with the morning crowd:
ਪਤਨੀ: ਅੱਜ ਮੈਂ ਦੋ ਘੰਟੇ ਸ਼ੋਪਿੰਗ ਕੀਤੀ ਐ ਤੇ ਇੱਕ ਵੀ ਨਹੀਂ ਰੁਪਈਆ ਖਰਚਿਆ।
ਪਤੀ: ਵਾਹ! ਕਿੱਦਾਂ?
ਪਤਨੀ: ਸਾਰੀਆਂ ਦੁਕਾਨਾਂ ਬੰਦ ਸੀਗੀਆਂ ਤਾਂ ਕਰਕੇ।
Two hours of window shopping with zero expense because every shop happened to be shut. Ranjodh Singh immediately clocked the parallel — the shops were closed, the key was at home, and his nose was blocked. Everything was sealed tight that morning, and the studio loved it.
Fateh's Riddle: A Nose That Cannot Smell
Fateh came prepared with what she described as a mix of riddle and joke combined. The challenge she put to the studio:
ਉਹ ਕਿਹੜੀ ਚੀਜ਼ ਆ ਜਿਹਦੇ ਨੱਕ ਆ ਪਰ ਉਹ ਸੁੰਘ ਨਹੀਂ ਸਕਦਾ?
(What has a nose but cannot smell?)
Ranjodh Singh, with his blocked nose at the front of his mind, immediately guessed himself — wrong. The studio scrambled. One listener sent in "Moorat" (statue). Another answer came in suspiciously fast, leading Fateh to declare the listener had clearly used AI, and promptly issued an infinity-dollar fine payable in Bitcoin. The real answer: ਟੀ ਪੋਟ (Teapot). Its spout is the nose. It cannot smell. The studio had to admit it was a good one.
Fateh's no-AI rule turned into one of the morning's running jokes. Google counts as AI. Lying about not having AI earns an extra fine. All fines are in cryptocurrency.
Gaba Sahib Returns and Performs a Surjit Bindrakhia Classic Live
Gaba Sahib had been away for weeks — first a sore throat, then his mother dealing with migraines and throat swelling. When he finally came back on air, the warmth from Ranjodh Singh and the listeners was immediate. He had a promise to keep: the last time he sang, the speaker had cut out mid-performance. He owed the audience the full version.
He delivered. A live, heartfelt rendition of the legendary Surjit Bindrakhia classic:
ਉਹ ਜਿਹਦੇ ਹੇਠ ਘੋੜਾ ਮੋਢੇ ਤੇ ਦਨਾਲੀ ਨੀ, ਪੱਗ ਬੰਨ੍ਹਦਾ ਜਿਉਣੇ ਮੌੜ ਵਾਲੀ ਨੀ।
ਤੂੰ ਨਹੀਂ ਬੋਲਦੀ, ਤੂੰ ਨਹੀਂ ਬੋਲਦੀ, ਤੇਰੇ ਚ ਤੇਰਾ ਯਾਰ ਬੋਲਦਾ।
Three full verses. Each chorus delivered with the kind of soul that stops a morning in its tracks. Ranjodh Singh's response said it all: "ਅੱਤ ਈ ਕਰਾ ਛੱਡੀ ਤੁਸੀਂ" — you've truly outdone yourself. Gaba Sahib's return to the Laughter Therapy mic was a reminder that this show carries music, warmth, and community in equal measure.
Krishna Bhardwaj Joins — 16 Minutes Late, Fined On Air
Krishna Bhardwaj joined mid-show but arrived 16 minutes behind schedule, citing traffic. The kids were having none of it. A $16 fine was issued on the spot. The banter that followed — about Ravana having ten heads but still getting stuck in traffic, and the logical upgrade of keeping one head but adding more legs — had the studio laughing for a solid minute. The consensus: in today's economy, ten heads means ten hungry mouths, so one head with faster legs is the smarter evolutionary move.
Tegh's Riddle: The Well, the Pulley, and the Accidental Leak
Young Tegh brought a traditional Punjabi ਬੁਝਾਰਤ (riddle) that no one in the studio had heard before:
ਆਰ ਟੰਗਾ ਪਾਰ ਟੰਗਾ, ਵਿੱਚ ਟਿਲਮ ਟਿੱਲੀ ਆ।
ਕੂੰਜਾਂ ਦੇਣ ਬੱਚੇ, ਵਿੱਚ ਨਦੀ ਨਹਾਉਣ ਚੱਲੀ ਆ।
The answer is the ਟਿੰਡਾਂ — the traditional rope-and-bucket pulley mechanism found in a village well (ਖੂਹ) in Punjab. But in the middle of the back-and-forth, Tegh accidentally dropped the word "ਖੂਹ" as a hint, and then tried to walk it back. The studio called it immediately — paper leak, NEET-style. "ਸਾਰੇ ਮੈਚਾਂ ਚ ਥੋੜ੍ਹਨਾ ਸੈਂਚੁਰੀ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਆ" — not every match ends in a century — and the laughter that followed was worth every leaked syllable.
Yuvraj's Joke: A Compliment That Required Running Shoes
Yuvraj brought a joke with a classic setup. A wife asks her husband how good she looks. He replies enthusiastically, then runs out the door before she can respond. The puzzle: what did he say that required such a rapid exit?
The studio guessed wrong several times. The actual punchline:
"ਤੂੰ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਇੰਨੀ ਕੁ ਚੰਗੀ ਲੱਗਦੀ ਆਂ, ਮੇਰਾ ਜੀ ਕਰਦਾ ਤੇਰੇ ਨਾਲ ਦੀ ਇੱਕ ਹੋਰ ਲੈ ਆਵਾਂ।"
(You look so good to me, I feel like going to get another one just like you.)
Ranjodh Singh's take: he wasn't running away in fear — he was running to go get her. The studio could not decide whether that made it better or worse. Either way, everyone was laughing.
Tavneet's Riddle: One Word, Three Meanings
Tavneet — representing Ashlein — closed the riddles segment with a crisp three-in-one challenge:
ਉਹ ਕਿਹੜੀ ਚੀਜ਼ ਆ ਜਿਹੜੀ ਫਰੂਟ ਵੀ ਆ, ਬਰਡ ਵੀ ਆ, ਤੇ ਇੱਕ ਪਰਸਨ ਵੀ ਆ?
(What is at once a fruit, a bird, and a person?)
Answer: Kiwi. The kiwi fruit. The kiwi bird of New Zealand. And "Kiwi" as everyday shorthand for a New Zealander. Clean, clever, and perfectly suited for a multicultural Australian Punjabi audience. Tavneet also mentioned the family had attended STEM Night the previous evening — a reminder that Laughter Therapy's young audience is as curious and engaged off-air as they are on it.
Lal Ji Rounds Off the Morning
With the clock running down, Lal Ji came on under time pressure and delivered a sharp little bit about two business partners — one from Times and one Jaiswal bhai — who opened a new venture together and proceeded to fight on the very first day about who gets to sit in the good chair. Short, punchy, and painfully relatable. The kind of story that fits Laughter Therapy perfectly.
Why Laughter Therapy Is the Heartbeat of Punjabi Radio in Australia
Laughter Therapy is not simply a comedy slot. It is a daily gathering of Melbourne's Punjabi community — a space where children call in from home before school, grandparents listen from the kitchen, and the whole Punjabi diaspora in Australia gets a few minutes of shared joy before the day takes over. Traditional ਬੁਝਾਰਤਾਂ sit alongside modern jokes. Classic songs by artists like Surjit Bindrakhia share air time with eight-year-olds making up new rules about Bitcoin fines. That mix is exactly what makes Radio Haanji 1674 AM irreplaceable for the Indian community in Melbourne.
If you enjoy Laughter Therapy, explore more of what Radio Haanji has to offer. For thoughtful audio fiction and storytelling, visit Kitaab Kahani — Radio Haanji's audio stories podcast. For deep conversations on science, space, species, and exploration, tune into The Deep Talk. And to hear every Laughter Therapy episode from the archive, head to the full Laughter Therapy podcast page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Laughter Therapy on Radio Haanji?
Laughter Therapy is a daily morning show on Radio Haanji 1674 AM, Melbourne's Punjabi and Hindi community radio station. Hosted by Ranjodh Singh, it features jokes, traditional Punjabi riddles (ਬੁਝਾਰਤਾਂ), live singing, and listener call-ins — with a strong focus on the community's children and families. All episodes are available at haanji.com.au/podcast/laughter-therapy.
Who hosts Laughter Therapy on Radio Haanji 1674 AM?
Laughter Therapy is hosted by Ranjodh Singh. The show airs on Radio Haanji 1674 AM, based in Melbourne, Australia, serving the Punjabi and Indian community across the country.
What is the answer to the riddle "What has a nose but cannot smell?"
The answer is a teapot (ਟੀ ਪੋਟ). Its spout resembles a nose, but it has no ability to smell. This riddle was shared by young caller Fateh on the 20 May 2026 episode of Laughter Therapy.
What does ਟਿੰਡਾਂ mean in Punjabi riddles?
ਟਿੰਡਾਂ refers to the traditional rope-and-bucket pulley system used in a village well (ਖੂਹ) in Punjab. It is a common subject in traditional Punjabi ਬੁਝਾਰਤਾਂ (riddles) that reflect rural life and heritage.
What song did Gaba Sahib perform on Laughter Therapy on 20 May 2026?
Gaba Sahib performed "ਤੇਰੇ ਚ ਤੇਰਾ ਯਾਰ ਬੋਲਦਾ" (Tere Wich Tera Yaar Bolda), a beloved classic by the legendary Punjabi singer Surjit Bindrakhia.
Where can I listen to Radio Haanji 1674 AM online?
You can listen to Radio Haanji 1674 AM live and access all podcast episodes at haanji.com.au. The Radio Haanji mobile app is also available for on-the-go listening. The station broadcasts Punjabi and Hindi content for the Indian and Punjabi community across Melbourne and Australia.
Is Radio Haanji available as a podcast?
Yes. Radio Haanji offers a full podcast library including Laughter Therapy, Kitaab Kahani (audio stories), The Deep Talk (science and exploration), and more. All episodes are free to stream at haanji.com.au.
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