Kerala - Kozhikode   

A fillip to traditional entertainment

Staff Reporter

KOZHIKODE: Circus artistes continue to amaze and enthral with their daring, dexterous feats.

The Jumbo Circus being showcased as part of the Malabar Shopping Festival here is proving to be a big draw, providing a fillip to the traditional form of entertainment of the region.

The show that began on December 22 at Swapna Nagari is drawing good crowd. The circus will be in town till February 5. The organisers have infused a touch of professionalism to the performances by inducting trained Russian artistes.

Event manager Srihari Nair said the Thalassery-based Jumbo Circus was launched on October 2, 1977, and an all effort was being made to improve the skill and performance of the artistes.

"We have incorporated a number of items by Russian artistes who have undergone training at the Tashkent Circus College, adding to the quality of the show. The feats by the ten-member troupe from Russia are proving to be popular with the audience," says Mr. Srihari.

The 22-year-old artiste Sher Khan from Uzbekistan is one of the star performers and his weightlifting feat by all standards is impressive.

The interaction of the weightlifter with the audience in the backdrop of the distinct Russian music and perfect synchronisation add to the superb presentation.

Side by side razzmatazz and glamour are provided by sisters Rasina and Zarina and the stately Natasha.

While Rasina performs the `hula hup' feat, Zarina amazes with a foot juggling exercise and Natasha the rope dance. Stick balance by a Nepalese boy and juggling by Ramil and Shakmore are the other popular items.

Ajay Shankar, managing partner of Jumbo Circus, said the Government must provide assistance to circus companies so that this traditional form of entertainment was sustained and the organisers were able to break even without undue loss.

When shows had to be cancelled all on a sudden, losses were inevitable. A case in point was when the show had to be called off because of a hartal call on December 30, when the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was executed. Mr. Ajay, who is also the partner of Gemini and Royal Circus and secretary of the New Delhi-based Indian Circus Federation, took over the family business from his father M.V. Shankar.

The three circus companies combined employed as many as 1,000 persons and he stressed the need to sustain this form of entertainment of which Thalassery was the cradle.

While all efforts were being made to improve quality, the Government must also chip in with some form of concessions.

The Gujarat Government, for instance, provided concessions by way of subsidised rate for the venue, besides lower rate for electricity.

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