This week, focus on hocus pocus
17 July 2012 3:54 AM GMT
‘When a novel is enacted on a stage, it becomes drama. Similarly, when you enact a fairytale or sci-fi on stage, it becomes magic.’ This is how the ninth generation of India’s magical family — Maneka Sorcar — describes the art of magic. The living legend of Indian magic, PC Sorcar (Jr), along with his daughter Maneka is here in Delhi to share some magical moments.
Sorcar family is staging a magic show named IndraJaal which was inaugurated on 13 July at Vinay Nagar Bengali Senior Secondary School in Sarojini Nagar to commemorate their Diamond Jubilee Celebration.
The show started with Sorcar’s famous Water of India where he kept pouring water from a vessel without refilling the vessel at all.
With every trick, Sorcar has a story to share. The drama, the story, the music along with the magic, are so good it is hard to make out if they are pretending to do life-threatening acts or if they are actually in a life-threatening situation.
Sorcar (Jr) changes the colours and dresses of girls within a fraction of a second and you almost wish it was that simple in the real world. He performs the typical Indian magic for you which is the best part about his magical performance — everything about it is Indian.
From the costumes of the dancers to his stories — everything is Indian. He blindfolds himself with dough and handkerchief (opaque objects) and still manages to know somehow what the person is writing on the blackboard.
Maneka Sorcar carries the magical tradition forward. She performs magic that will leave you awestruck. She gets locked in boxes and comes out suddenly out of nowhere somewhere among the audience. In one trick, she actually comes out of a huge fan unscathed. And all the time, the fan’s blades are rotating.
With a loud and boisterous voice, she enthralls the crowd and proves her point of being a better ‘woman’ magician than men.
The show concludes with Sorcar (Jr) performing such magic ‘after watching which you would never want to trust your eyes’. ‘Many people in India believe that being able to do magic is having supernatural powers. Many have come to me asking for a better life. People here are extremely superstitious. They need to be made aware and need to understand that it is all drama and physics. It is a form of art,’ said Sorcar (Jr).
The proud father has found a worthy successor in daughter Maneka. ‘It’s like a relay race. Only the best can carry forward the legacy of many years and such legacy you have to be able to be worthy of being able to carry it forward,’ she says. ‘And the magic that we do is not to prove that we are powerful or anything. We have a very scientific approach to magic. It’s an amalgamation of art and science,’ says Maneka.
Also, to support his views on education and culture Sorcar (Jr) is going to open a school in Tripura which would be a platform not only for academics but also to learn other art forms, especially magic.
It’s not everyday that a legend walks in the city to perform live.
Do not miss this magic show for anything.
DETAILS
AT: Vinay Nagar Bengali School, AK Roy Marg, Sarojini Nagar
On Till: 19 July, 6:15 pm
Phone: 24672875
Sorcar family is staging a magic show named IndraJaal which was inaugurated on 13 July at Vinay Nagar Bengali Senior Secondary School in Sarojini Nagar to commemorate their Diamond Jubilee Celebration.
The show started with Sorcar’s famous Water of India where he kept pouring water from a vessel without refilling the vessel at all.
With every trick, Sorcar has a story to share. The drama, the story, the music along with the magic, are so good it is hard to make out if they are pretending to do life-threatening acts or if they are actually in a life-threatening situation.
Sorcar (Jr) changes the colours and dresses of girls within a fraction of a second and you almost wish it was that simple in the real world. He performs the typical Indian magic for you which is the best part about his magical performance — everything about it is Indian.
From the costumes of the dancers to his stories — everything is Indian. He blindfolds himself with dough and handkerchief (opaque objects) and still manages to know somehow what the person is writing on the blackboard.
Maneka Sorcar carries the magical tradition forward. She performs magic that will leave you awestruck. She gets locked in boxes and comes out suddenly out of nowhere somewhere among the audience. In one trick, she actually comes out of a huge fan unscathed. And all the time, the fan’s blades are rotating.
With a loud and boisterous voice, she enthralls the crowd and proves her point of being a better ‘woman’ magician than men.
The show concludes with Sorcar (Jr) performing such magic ‘after watching which you would never want to trust your eyes’. ‘Many people in India believe that being able to do magic is having supernatural powers. Many have come to me asking for a better life. People here are extremely superstitious. They need to be made aware and need to understand that it is all drama and physics. It is a form of art,’ said Sorcar (Jr).
The proud father has found a worthy successor in daughter Maneka. ‘It’s like a relay race. Only the best can carry forward the legacy of many years and such legacy you have to be able to be worthy of being able to carry it forward,’ she says. ‘And the magic that we do is not to prove that we are powerful or anything. We have a very scientific approach to magic. It’s an amalgamation of art and science,’ says Maneka.
Also, to support his views on education and culture Sorcar (Jr) is going to open a school in Tripura which would be a platform not only for academics but also to learn other art forms, especially magic.
It’s not everyday that a legend walks in the city to perform live.
Do not miss this magic show for anything.
DETAILS
AT: Vinay Nagar Bengali School, AK Roy Marg, Sarojini Nagar
On Till: 19 July, 6:15 pm
Phone: 24672875
Next Story
