It's time to cast a spell on education
SANGEETH KURIAN
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Magic is essential and the young agree wholeheartedly!
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PHOTO: S. GOPAKUMAR
MAGIC TIME: Watch Gopinath Muthukad in action.
Magic should be made a part of the curriculum. Magic can help children to improve their level of concentration, said magician Gopinath Muthukad at an interactive session with children organised by the Kerala State Child Welfare Council in the city.
Magic is an art that requires skill and frequent practice. The art has evolved from the days when it was perceived merely as a street art, he told the participants attending a summer camp organised by the Council. "Among the various tricks performed by a magician the fire escape act is one of the most difficult and dangerous," he said. Krishna, a class VII student of the Muslim Association School wanted to know Muthukad's opinion about "bogus sanyasis". The magician responded to the query in his own inimitable style by waving his hands in the air and producing ash, much to the amazement of children. "If you learn a little magic you can do this trick by yourself," he told them.
Dispelling myths
"There are no miracles in magic. Magic is hundred per cent science and art. It has the power to induce surprise and bewilderment in the minds of the audience," said Muthukad. "If a Sanyasi claims to be God with help of magic, then he is fake. He is just a magician and does not possess any super-natural powers," he said. A native of Malappuram, Muthukad, like his role model David Copperfield, the world-renowned American magician and illusionist, became interested in magic at an early age. As a six-year-old, he stole Rs. 25 from his father's pocket to learn magic from a snake charmer. But he was swindled. But his fervour for magic remained unflinching and at the age of 13, he made his first public appearance.
Today with more than 25 years of experience behind him, Muthukad has transformed this ancient craft into a performing art dispelling the miasma of witchcraft and superstitions popularly associated with it.
"People today know that magic functions entirely on scientific principles. However, during presentation it covers up science completely and projects only art," said Muthukad.But then a magician also needs to be creative to stay in the reckoning. According to him there are only 13 tricks a conjuror can perform. Production, levitation, stretching, animation, transformation, transportation and escape are some of them. Based on these elementary lessons, a magician has to improvise and create, otherwise his shows will become repetitive. In Muthukad's opinion, there is an inherent advantage for magic over other performing arts, the absence of language barriers.
Muthukad has conducted patriotic magic shows across the country to fight against communalism, separatism, terrorism and other divisive forces that are fragmenting the social fabric of the nation.
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