THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “Circus? I was born into a circus! It is life! It is everything!” exclaims Sherith as he waxes eloquent about circus and the new lease of life he and his brother, Shenil, chanced upon on joining the troupe. “It is all about excitement, adventure, colour and fun. It is like a kite, flying all over the place. As soon as you get bored with a place you can move!” he adds.
It has been three years since Sherith and his brother left a secure and well paying IT profession to start a circus troupe thereby stepping onto a nomadic life. The duo hailing from Thalassery is in the city with their troupe, Global Circus, for a month long show.
Born into the lap of a life surrounded by excitement and acrobatic feats, the glitz and glitter of circus has always lured the brothers. But ever since they could remember, it was drilled into their consciousness that circus wouldn’t fetch them much. And so their life started off in the corporate field. Years of monotony did its work. “There were several reasons to quit and start off a circus. We got tired of the corporate life and the monotony that comes with it. You wear a mask there. Here the life is so real and it was the best decision I took,” Sherith recalls how the brothers quit the IT field. But the going hasn’t been easy though.
Circus, which used to be the cynosure of all eyes, has over the years lost its sheen with the entry of new forms of entertainment. “There was a lull a few years back but now circus is gaining popularity once again,” Shenil chimes in. However, lack of availability of land and artistes are some of the issues that vex them.
“Unlike in the West, here nothing much is being done to promote circus and the artistes aren’t recognised. Nor is any innovation attempted. We are trying to reinvent circus as it shouldn’t be reduced to a show of various acts. We are trying to make it more musical and someday develop it in the line of a Broadway show. The possibilities are limitless,” Sherith adds.
Recently, they had worked with the students of National School of Drama and integrated theatre into circus. ‘Clowns and Clouds’, which told the story of a joker, a theatre incorporated circus performance which garnered applause from all quarters. “We want to develop circus by integrating other art forms. Our aim is to weave all the acts in such a way as to tell a story. Circus should not just be a performance of random acts,” says Sherith, who dreams big about reinventing the show.
Born into a family where their father was the manager of a circus and their mother, a trapeze artist, the gypsy-style life grew on them. Sherith recalls how his father reprimanded him when he tried to learn a few tricks. “We were never allowed to learn any of the acts. And soon my mother and I had to leave the circus as my father was particular about education,” Sherith adds. Although he isn’t formally trained, he hopes that one day he would learn a few acts.