Monalisa Patsani
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: Magic was that inviting and intriguing path that he thought led to a steady supply of laddoos and jalebis at 7. After 57 years in the profession, that sweet toothed child still lurks somewhere in Jadugar Anand.
It is that child who, perhaps, keeps this magician inventing ways to bring sweetness, even if it is illusory, into reality-weary audiences.
The man from Jabalpur, on his first visit for a show to Bhubaneswar, recalls his schooldays, the classes he had bunked “to see magic shows at circuses and melas”.
“They (magicians) would bring jalebis and laddoos out of thin air and give it to audiences to prove these were real, edible sweetmeats and not an illusion. I was more interested in these laddoos and jalebis and craved for them each day. I would miss these shows when they moved town. Then I thought if I learnt that trick, the world of sweetmeats would be at my disposal. I decided to become a magician,” Anand says.
Postgraduation in English happened before magic became his priority and daily bread. “I have always felt that people who got to make their hobbies their profession are lucky. Magic was my hobby and I turned it into my profession. I am happy I did that. When you love work you won’t get bored.”
When magic’s place in Anand’s heart transcended beyond passion and subsistence, he also became more creative and socially conscious. He made his acts messages against social evils. “Seniors in the field would advice me that magic was entertainment alone. But I thought differently. I had to do something more as a responsible citizen of the country. Now my tricks are also messages against corruption, war, population, pollution, female foeticide and a host of other evils.”
As a torchbearer of change in magic, Anand has also been witness to transformation in the field. “Magic today is not limited to bringing out pigeons from a hat or suspending girls in hypnotic trance midair. Magicians such as Criss Angel of America have taken magic to another level.”
His reference to the illusionist (real name Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos), who was named Magician of the Century in 2010 by the International Magicians Society, also reflects his hope for the future of magic. “Earlier, sources of entertainment were limited and life was slow. But today entertainment is everywhere. Magic has been on the wane but it is nothing new. There was a time when theatre and films were popular. Then it declined. Now they are again popular.”
Anand believes the magic of magic will return. “I feel happy that my shows divert people’s minds from tension and worries even if it is for just two hours. I will continue this till I end,” he says.
