BELLARY: A four-year-old boy, Srivatsa Hemmadi, on Tuesday rode a mini-motorcycle blindfolded through the main streets of the city. He rode from Venkateshwara temple near Satyanarayanpet up to Brucepet Ccircle, passing the busy Indira Gandhi and Royal circles and also through Bangalore road, covering a stretch of two kilometres.

Dressed in a sky-blue suit, Srivatsa emerged from an empty box even as the guests, including Additional Superintendent of Police D.C. Rajappa, senior journalist Mattihalli Nagaraja Rao, Assistant Director of the Department of Kannada and Culture Chornur Kotrappa and former mayor Somashekar Reddy, threw flowers on him.

The dignitaries then tied a black muffler over his eyes and put a mask over it. After performing a puja at the temple, Srivatsa began riding the motorcycle. Without fumbling even once, the toddler rode the vehicle like a professional amidst the applause of the people who had gathered in large numbers to witness the event. He was especially cautious at the road humps and also when navigating through the damaged patches of the roads.

Prakash Hemmadi, his father, who is a hotelier and a magician, had got the battery-operated mini-motorcycle (which was two-feet long and less than two feet high) from Mumbai. The motorcycle had two additional small wheels fitted on the side to prevent him from falling. Mr. Hemmadi said he had personally supervised his son's rehearsals, which used to take place at night. At the Brucepet Circle, Mr. Reddy received the boy and offered him juice, commending him for being able to perform the feat at his age.

This was reportedly Srivatsa's second feat to earn him recognition. Mr. Hemmadi said he had performed magic tricks when he was eighteen months old and had been named the world's youngest magician. Last year, he performed the rope trick and also held a live snake at the Nagarur Narayan Rao Park here.

His magic shows have been recorded by the Indian Brotherhood of Magicians and he has been credited with having performed 98 magic shows not only in different parts of the State but also in Goa, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.

Video clippings of his motorcycle feat are being sent to the Limca Book of Records for documentation.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail