It is sheer Magic

Summer holidays in Chennai has become quite enjoyable for kids. No, the famous chennai heat has not done the vanishing act. It is just that it has been accepted as given and then carry on from there.When parents are through with scanning the pages of dailies for summer courses for kiddos and putting them through a few, they are left with time and money on their hands. Enter the movie moghuls.There seems to be a plethora of children movies doing the rounds. Nowadays the movies for children are actively marketed as fun filled for the entire family.Children's movies are scheduled to be released in May and they are doing much better than the regular movies.
This year we noticed the magic shows are being actively promoted. Wide publicity and screaming billboards made us want to try them out.

Jadugar Anand was holding his shows in Kalaivanar arangam.The entire family landed up there, as every one said, that it is ages since they went to a magic show and amma particularly said she is always an ardent fan of magic shows.J all of 8 years said she has never seen a magic show and always wanted to go for one!
This show was a spectacle in the true sense. It was a SHOW. The stage was jazzy with dancing light beams of all colours adding a mystic feeling.It was golden and purple colour curtains in satin smoothly taking off to give us a peep into what is in store for us this evening. The band picked up a racy beat and the crescendo was reached in a few minutes.Petite girls and young boys particularly small made came on stage and made a nice dance parade of sorts.
The actual magic show began and unrolled one wonder after another. Anand used to finish a piece and then stand there with his hands stretched wide with a demure expression; that was the cue that the piece is over and he is not unwelcome to a grand applause!My hands went red with applauding after every show.
A huge elephant suddenly appeared on the stage practically from nowhere and then made a leisurely exit.Liberty statue was shown and bit by bit it was shown to disappear into thin air.
There were boxes and boxes all the way. The boys and girls used to be put into one box or the other and knives and daggers used to be inserted right into them and they will come back unscathed.Hypnotism and levitation were very captivating. A girl from the audience was made to lie down on a bench and slowly the bench was removed and she was hanging in mid air.I have been trying to find out the magic, science and hypnosis of this levitation from the net. But while it explains some, it leaves much unsaid.
Of course, flower vases from thin air, rabbits and white pigeons from a hat are a must in any magic show and this one was no exception.
This show was unique in that other magicians who routinely perform on the Tv were also present in the audience and they were duly brought on stage and honoured.
Comedian vivek had come with his family and J had good fun going up and shaking hands with him and his kids at the end of the show. She also went to the green room and greeted Jadugar Anand and said he does appear quite old!
I have not been to a magic show since my school days in Tambaram and I enjoyed the magic, spectacle and drama that Jadugar Anand displayed on stage that day.