THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: “I don't know what magic is. All I know is I was up in the air, singing,” says Aiswarya S Nair who was born blind. On Monday, decked up in a bright red gown, the 18-year-old music student sang to her heart’s fill.
Propping her hand over a bamboo pole and holding the mike, she sang mid-air, her feet a good distance above the ground. She was among the eight differently-abled talents who scripted history by performing an otherworldly feat of entering the Indian Book of Record with stellar magic performances.
The performers included youngsters affected with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and blindness. They include Vishnu, Rahul R, Rahul P R, Sreelekshmi S, Saranya Satheesh, Shilpa L, Hareesh Sabu and Aiswarya S Nair. There was a sense of excitement and happiness on their faces after they were being celebrated. Most of them were unaware about the significance of the event. All they knew was they were happy. “I want to become a magician. Today, right now, I am very happy,” said Rahul, oblivious of his achievement.
The artists who waltzed into the elite club of record makers include the five ambassadors of the Anuyathra scheme of Kerala Social Security Mission (KSSM) and two differently-abled singers. They are also performers at the Magic Planet theme park. They performed non-stop for an hour and seven minutes at the park and etched their name in the book of records. The performance started at 9.45 am and culminated at 10.52 am.
Minister for Social Justice K K Shailaja was also present on the occasion. “It is a rare feat that the kids have achieved. This is a precious moment for all of us and we never thought something of this stature was possible. I cannot explain my happiness in words,” said Shailaja.
“There was a time when there were talks of winding this up. In the initial month when we started off, it was very difficult. The kids would not listen. They would throw away the mike. Even medical practitioners were cynical. Magic is all about deceiving people and requires a lot of co-ordination in the mind,” recalls magician Gopinath Muthukad. “I cancelled my show for six months. A team of six of us spent time with the children. They were very focussed. And they created wonders,” he added.
Twelve magic acts were performed with each act peppered with generous doses of music and dance performances. Announcing the record, the India Book of Records adjudicator Pradeep Bharadwaj said that it was a unique achievement and that they will get to perform in front of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December.