India, March 8 -- Singapore-based stand-up comedian Sharul Channa is set to return to India this March with her tour, Saree, These Are Just Jokes!. In a largely male-dominated industry, she says humour has helped her challenge stereotypes while staying committed to her craft. "The journey has been long and yet so rewarding. There weren't enough roles for women, for brown women in Singapore," she says, recalling how her career began with a three-minute open mic set. "The first time people laughed, it felt like validation. But the next time I went on stage, I completely bombed," she adds. More than a decade later, Channa says the gender gap in stand-up remains visible. "If you see the ratio of men to women in stand-up and the number of women who become as big as the men, the gap is still huge," Channa continues. For women performers, persistence is key. "Your aim is not to be accepted into someone's gang. your aim is to go on stage and make people laugh. The moment you do that, the room starts respecting you, " she says. She also credits comedians like Sumukhi Suresh, Neeti Palta and Gurleen Pannu for carving their own space and helping change the comedy landscape....