Mumbai, Jul 13 (IANS): Teachers or 'Gurus' play a very important role in our life and 'Guru Purnima' is the best day to show respect towards our teachers and remember them for the knowledge they have given to us. The contestants of 'India's Laughter Champion' on this special occasion opened up about their teachers who inspired them in their life and profession.

Nitesh Shetty from Mumbai spoke about Johnny Lever and how he inspired him to become a stand-up comedian.

"Johnny Lever sir has played a huge role in me taking up the mic and pursuing my dreams of being a stand-up comedian. I have grown up watching his films and I have learnt so much about comedy from him," he said, adding that "His impeccable comic timing, comic sense, humour, expressions, and body language have all become lessons to me and on this Guru Purnima, I would like to thank him for inspiring many children to take up comedy and pursue their dreams."

Talking about popular comedian Raju Shrivastav, Aditya Kulshreshtha from Bhopal said: "I remember watching the old comedy shows on television and I distinctly remember watching Raju Shrivastav perform stand up. His performances are still imprinted on my mind and in fact when I remember him today, I cannot help but remember his amazing performances and giggle. He was the one who not only inspired me to take up stand-up comedy but also helped me realise that there is much scope in the Indian comedy scene."

Jaswant Singh Rathore from Ludhiana talked about Gurpreet Ghuggi, who has appeared on the show 'Comedy Ke Sarpanch' twice, as his first source of inspiration.

"Today people laugh at my impressions of Gurpreet ji but what they do not know is that he was the hook that pulled me into comedy. I have watched him perform stand-up, perhaps one of the first Punjabis to go into this line of work," he said, adding that "He is not only an inspiration to me but Punjab's pride. A lot of my comedic sense has been learnt from him, watching and observing his performances. He truly is my Guru."

Furthermore, Jay Chhaniyara of Rajkot, said that all the comedy artists are his teachers and he learns from each of them while looking at their acts. "There's not one particular person who's been a Guru but all comedy artists are my Guru as I learn from them every time they perform and I pray that I keep learning," he concludes.