HYDERABAD: There was a time when the carnivalesque atmosphere would find a match in the smiling, cheerful faces of those who would gang up to visit the circus. Even a decade back, the circus was most awaited entertainment zone for all. Now, with the virtual world usurping its special place, the circus is often labeled antiquated. Yet, the indelible charm of a circus still captures the hearts of
many. The 65-year-old Great Prabhat Circus, at Kukatpally does bring back childhood memories of the circus. Expresso caught up with some of the Russian artistes, Mohabbat, Gulmira and Dinara, who chatted away in Hindi about the blistering heat. Mohabbat vigorously shook her head when asked about the Indian-ness of their names, saying that they were real. “Sawaal-jawaab? Aap journalist?” An affirmative answer gets her to quip, “Aap sawaal, hum jawaab!” While there’s no denying the fact that the fading popularity of the circus makes it pertinent for the management to import artistes from around the world, the happy countenances of these Russian girls reveal the genuine enthusiasm to perform against all odds. Mohabbat informs, “We’ve been touring India for the last three years and can perform fire dance, juggling, ring dance, acrobats and gymnastics and much more.” Claiming to have been trained since childhood, these girls give the nod as they agree, “We do have a lot of fun.” They take off for the next show, not without giving their master due credit for their progress in learning Hindi and praising the sweltering heat of Hyderabad only because, “garmi, pasina hogi to weight loss hogi!” For many Indian performers, however, it means more than just fun. And sometimes, it does become difficult to make
both ends meet. Lata, from Bangalore, tells us that both she and her husband have been interested in the circus since childhood and had been performing for
the last 25 years. So have Jamuna and her husband from West Bengal. Lata confesses, “It would be difficult earlier, when I was just learning the items, but
it’s become a habit.” Now, she tells us, she’s an adept cyclist. Jamuna does an item called ‘bike jump’ and is proud to inform us that she’s capable of many more unique numbers. “We can manage a livelihood, but circus doesn’t draw as much of a crowd as it used to earlier,” she rues. Lata’s husband comes with their children in his arms and she says, “I’m going to send them to school when they grow up. I’m not going to make performers out of them.” She admits that the animal ban has badly hit the business, as circus has always been synonymous
with animals and, therefore, pulled more children. “There’s barely a profit nowadays because of the ban,” she says. The keeper of the animals on board,
Zakir Hussain from Bihar, has bonded with elephants and camels since childhood as he stresses on the fact that his profession is “khandaani”. However, he laments that many have lost their jobs due to the ban on tigers and lions.
With three shows everyday, two-anda- half hours each without a break, Great
Prabhat Circus has many to sustain and the expenditure sometimes crosses Rs
50,000 per day, sources quoted. Meanwhile, a bunch of kids watch elephants chomp on the feed. A trickle of a crowd queues up at the counter. It
is show time.
