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Their bag of tricks
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Indian magicians may not have too many new tricks up their sleeves but they do cast a spell on audiences
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Gili gili choo... producing rabbits out of hats that then turn into posies — Photo: Murali Kumar K.
SAWING INTO half a smiling woman (often in a gold-sequinned, skimpy outfit) is a privilege only they have. What more, the woman always returns in one piece, still smiling.
Magicians love what they do. Leaving us foxed. But the Indian bag of tricks doesn't seem to have changed much over the years.
Magic World at the recently concluded Bangalore Habba proved how mesmerising all of it can be — the rope tricks, producing eggs from ears and mouths; making doves appear out of hats that then turn into red posies; and making people vanish with their wands by simply saying gili gili choo.
Conjurers, illusionists, magicians with a slick sleight of the hand, the gift of the gab, and, most importantly, a great sense of humour too. In all, 13 of them were there at the Magic Habba at Cubbon Park. People buzzed from one stage to the other much like a swarm of bees to see one performance after the other.
Street magic
Prof. Yona entertained with street-magic rope tricks, dressed as Charlie Chaplin. Sarang produced canes, hats, and silk scarves from his fingertips. Praveen Kumar, an MBA grad and a magician, sculpted balloons into various forms, and the youngest, Karun Krishna, all of seven, charmed the audience. Wanting to make a humane use of their magical powers, many of the magicians toured city hospitals, especially those treating children suffering from cancer, and entertained them at their bedsides.
M. Chand Pasha of Delhi, at 72, was perhaps one of the oldest magicians at the show. A seventh-generation magician, with everyone from his nephew and son-in-law part of the performance, he has been at it since the age of eight. Pasha proudly shows albums of his performance all over the world, and photos autographed by French and Japanese magicians.
Wearing a fez with a tassel, a lungi, a colourful waistcoat, and sporting a flowing beard, he looks a wise old man with his bag of wisecracks. He recalls earlier days when he performed at the markets. "We would first perform, and then, if people were happy, they would give us some money. Today, we perform at birthday parties and family functions. Unlike TV, we offer very different entertainment. It's clean and pure and the whole family can watch without embarrassment," he grins a toothy grin.
Comparing Indian magic performances to the glamorous ones he's seen world over, he says: "Bharat mein kala hai" (India possesses the art of magic). But we would perform in the open with audience all around us. The modern ones are more of stage shows with equipment and they'll never let anyone near the stage." And shrewdly sums up the tricks in India: "Paida karo, gayab karo... haathi ya aadmi ko... ya colour change karo." (Make things appear, disappear... either elephants or people... or make things change colour.)
Pasha still uses old wicker baskets and eggs in his tricks, but keeps his audience fascinated with his smart and entertaining talk.
Not catching up
Noted Bangalore magician K.S. Ramesh, who headed the entire Magic Habba team, talks of how Indian magic hasn't adapted much to present-day entertainment needs in terms of glamour. He frankly admits: "City-bred magicians get to do a lot of shows for good money. But a number of them come from the lower strata of society and take to magic because they are unemployed and have learnt some tricks. Today magic shows have also become compulsory at birthday parties. I use my magic at product launches, corporate shows, and in films. I get to produce a Shah Rukh Khan from nowhere, or levitate the most famous people."
Magic that banks on the sleight of the hand is more difficult than those that involve gadgets. "On a big stage, I become an entertainer using magic apparatus. In a good magician, magic is the personality, not the apparatus."
But Bangaloreans who were at Cubbon Park weren't really measuring the modernity or finesse of the magicians. They were there, babies, baby bags, water bottles, popcorn... all for an evening of entertainment, jugglers, fire-eaters, stilt-walkers, and of course, some magic in their staid lives.
B.K.
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