Jadugar Anand's blind-fold ride

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Watch out, ye Chennaivasis on October 7, 2004. Jadugar (Magician) Anand will ride a motor-cycle across the length and breadth of the city for over 40 kms -- blind-fold!

This doesn't mean other traffic will be off the roads or that Chennai traffic will come to a halt. Far from it. The magician wants to ride when peak traffic is on, and he will flow with the traffic.

Anand wanted to hold the event in Chennai for a charitable cause. "After all, money is not everything in life. I thought that all I did was entertain the people. I must do more towards social causes. The Chennai event is the beginning of this exercise", said the magician.

He had sought permission for his motor-bike adventure for October 6, but permission from the city police was not forthcoming. Therefore, he hit upon an alternative route to get clearance. He asked the Tamil Nadu Speaker to inaugurate his motor-bike event, and the Speaker agreed to flag off the rally on October 7 from Kamarajar Arangam in the evening.

Anand says the motor-bike ride will have meaning only when it is performed live on the roads. He did not think there was any risk for the rider or for the public. "There is no case of a blind driver having died in a traffic accident. All fatal accidents have involved people with perfect vision", he pointed out. Blind drivers can ride safely and without causing any danger to other lives or property, "and that is what I am going to prove in Chennai on October 7."

The route he will take is from Kamaraj Arangam in Teynampet to Alwarpet, Abhiramapuram, Adyar, Thiruvanmiyur, Saidapet, Vadapalani, Kodambakkam, Ashok Nagar, KK Nagar, Anna Nagar, Thirumangalam, and back to Teynampet.

Jadugar Anand, a world-class magic performer with his colourful mayalok team, will present his magic shows from October 8 at Kamarajar Arangam in Chennai. The magician, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, is in the city with his troupe of 65 members and will entertain the city audience with 65 items that last for two and half hours. Anand claims to be the world fastest magician and holder of three international records.

The Jadugar has a simple definition of magic: a pleasing and amazing art and exhibition of practiced skills, where the laws of nature are seemingly set aside for innocent entertainment. "Innocent because, our kind of magic should never be confused with the so called 'black magic", he explains.

He started showing interest in magic as a young boy and after learning it from a master in the art, he performed in public by the age of 14. That was more to earn pocket money because the family wouldn't accept magic as a serious career. But the passion for magic continued even after he graduated and after 32 years on the stage, he has considerable fan following.

Anand, whose name features in the Guinness Book of World Records, has performed over 26,000 shows in 36 countries around the world. He holds the record for escape from the box in the shortest time, breaking the record set by the world famous Hondini and P C Sorkar. Jadugar Anand could escape out of the box in 40 seconds flat as compared to six minutes taken by Houdini and 90 seconds taken by P C Sorkar.

Jadugar Anand has created a sensation by riding a two-wheeler blind-folded for 200 km from Indore to Bhopal in 210 minutes, breaking P C Sorkar's record of 6 km in Paris. The latest trick of making Laxmi the elephant vanish from the stage is indeed a spectacular marvel. He is the national president of The All India Magic Federation for the past nine years.

His dream is to set up a National Academy of Magic, with branches in every State capital of the country. "An Academy of Magic not only creates employment opportunities for many but also generate awareness about the art", he says.

"People the world over associate magic with India, but our government doesn't consider it an art. Moreover, the government evinces no interest in integral part of the cultural heritage of India."

Anand points out that magic as a profession is interesting, but anyone who thinks it is all fun and cakewalk needs to think again. "The magic shows that I conduct are a matter of team-work with the assistance of around sixty people who are involved in making the show a hit. They take up various responsibilities and the success of the show depends upon their co-ordination. It is like a mega film production. It involves selection of venue, publicity, ticket sales, stage designing, lights, costumes and so on. Once the show starts there needs to be minimum break between any two items of the show. All this is taken care of by a well planned and precise teamwork. Once we leave our town, we return after months, sometimes years. But all the sweat and struggle, tension and toil is forgotten the moment we hear the applause of the crowd. That is a very satisfying reward and it truly makes our day", says the ace magician.