Samson Koletkar (aka Mahatma Moses) was born in Mumbai and raised Jewish. Growing up in the world’s most crowded city, he spent most of his childhood years burning the midnight candles for earning a Masters Degree in Computer Software, thereby fulfilling his parent’s dreams. He then moved half-way across the world, to the technology headquarters and a hotbed for emerging comics – San Francisco. Samson brings a refreshingly new approach to cerebral, witty, thought-provoking, clean humor with a first-generation immigrant perspective. Driven by personal trials and tribulations, his subtle satire addresses religious and political hypocrisies, social issues, and day-to-day absurdities of human nature.
Highlights:
– 2015 36th Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition – Semi Finalist
– 2015 International Society of Humor Studies comedy competition – Winner
– 2015 Chutzpah Festival Vancouver
– 2015 Twin Cities Jewish Humor Festival – closing night headliner
– 2015 Sacramento Comedy Fest
– 2014 San Francisco International Comedy Competition
– 2011 San Francisco Annual Comedy Day Festival
– 2011 MuslimFest Missisauga
– 2010 Asian American Theater Company comedy competition – Winner
– 2010 The Great Canadian Laugh Off in Toronto,
– 2007 San Francisco Kearny Street Festival
– Creator/Producer/Performer – Desi Comedy Fest – the largest and only South Asian comedy festival in U.S
– Producer of Comedy Oakland, the longest running weekly comedy show in Oakland, voted “2012 Top 10 Theatrics” by East Bay Express
– Creator of Mahatma Moses Comedy Tour (10 cities across U.S.)
– Co-creator of The Minorities Stand-Up with 5-star reviews on Goldstar
– Make Chai Not War (USA & Canada)
– Funatical Comedy Tour (USA & Canada)
– Pundits with Punchlines (California)
– Sultans of Satire (California)
Corporate / non-profits:
Singapore Airlines, HP, HCL, Intel, Infosys, Zensar, IntelliSwift, Persistent, Bristlecone, IIT, IIM, NIT, TieCON, AAPIO, Asha for Education, Engineers Without Borders, Foundation for Excellence, ImmigrationVoice, Home Of Hope, Indo American Golf Association, MAIYTRA, Midrasha, Aligarh Muslim University Alumni, Asia Society Northern California, Asian Employees Association, Asian Health Services, Bechol Lashon, Global Indian Technology Professionals Association, Global Woman Intact, Human Development Foundation, Jewish High Tech Community, Mountain Mike’s Pizza, Muslim Community Association, Northeastern Illinois University, Oakland Rotary Club, Occupy Oakland, PlanetReads, SUNY Geneseo, San Ramon Cricket Association, Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, Stanford University, Syracuse University, UC Santa Cruz, University of San Francisco, Youth Science Institute, Agami Education, California College of the Arts, Chai House Retirement Community, Credo High School, Ekal Vidyalaya, Elk Lodge, Gunn High School, Brandeis University, Shankara Eye Foundation, and more.
(Short version: Samson Koletkar is world’s only Indian Jewish standup comedian. He has performed his cerebral, witty, thought-provoking, clean humor in India, Canada & U.S. and has been featured on NBC, CBS5, & KRON4.)