Tea with The Tribune Samrat Shankar, magician
‘Magicians don’t have superpowers’
In a tete-a-tete with The Tribune team, Samrat Shankar, renowned magician, shares his experiences
Renowned magician Samrat Shankar belongs to a traditional business family of Aggarwals of Sri Karanpur in Rajasthan. He exhorts all to use magic with good intentions. He wants the government to set up an institution for teaching magic, a pure Indian art form.
Karthik Hakim and Kripa Shankar Tiwari, students of BSF Senior Secondary School, joined The Tribune team in an interaction with the magician.
Following are some of the excerpts:
Jupinderjit Singh (JJS): Why and when did you choose to be a magician?
Samrat Shankar (SS): Not many know that I am the first person in my family to become a magician. We are Aggarwals, traditional baniya businessmen, and my choice of career met with more opposition than one can expect. It so happened that I saw a show of magician Dev Kumar in my town which fascinated me a lot. I started learning from him and later from others. My parents were angry that they threw my equipment and freed the animals and birds I had brought home for tricks.
I was told that no one would marry me and I would be outcast. But I persisted and today, even remotely connected relatives boast of having links with me.
JJS: So one learns magic, but does it really exist. What exactly is magic?
SS: It is an art, a combination of yoga, tricks, hypnotism and meditation. It uses science as well as illusion.
Sunaina Kaul (SK): Magicians don’t have superpowers, do they?
SS: No, it is an art perfected with practice. It should be used for entertainment or at the most for good acts like helping someone psychologically. Those claiming to have superpowers are fake. No one should be swayed by their claims. When I bring out ash and almonds from nowhere in my hands, people clap at the trick. But if I do this wearing a sadhu costume, people will touch my feet and call me God.
SK: Is it the spiritual power or a trick behind the act of disappearing a person or a thing?
SS: Magic is a fine art. We use 75 per cent tricks and 25 per cent hypnotism in the performance of a trick.
SK: Why women are lacking in this field? Is there a scope for a woman to become a magician?
SS: We have few woman magicians in foreign countries. There is a lot of scope for them in this field, but the reason for their less presence is the formalities which a magician is bound to fulfill while performing their shows in different parts of the country.
Secondly, it is a costly affair. Expenses are high and returns are low. The government should encourage women to opt for this art and should not levy entertainment tax. Entertainment should be made tax free.
Dinesh Manhotra (DM): According to you, magic is an art. How old is this art and from where it originated?
SS: Magic is a centuries old art. It basically originated from Bengal. The magic of Bengal, especially black magic, is famous all over the world.
Ashutosh Sharma (AS): What about black magic, people claim they have supernatural black magic of Bengal?
SS: There is nothing like black magic. I will term it rather magic practiced at night with evil intentions. The claims are fake. It has no effect on good and determined people.
Ravi Krishnan Khajuria (RKK): Who is your favourite magician and idol?
SS: I worked for five years with world famous magician BN Sarkar. He has always remained my idol.
AS: Please tells us some interesting mass hypnotism tricks you employed?
SS: As I said above, my parents were worried that no one would marry me. But eventually, when a girl agreed, I could not stop myself from playing a trick. At the marriage pandal, I made my wife to disappear. Everyone started searching for her whereas the bride was sitting just beside me. She giggled as pandit kept asking for the bride.
Similarly, at a show in England, I arrived one hour late. The audience was furious. I asked them to check their watches and bingo, the watches said I was five minutes before schedule. Amidst the hysteric clapping and cheers, there were three-four doctors among the audience, who could not be hypnotised, but nobody listened to them that I was actually late.
Kripa Shankar Tiwari (student): Magic originated in India, but it is dying now.
SS: Yes, we need more support from the government and public. There are so many expenses involved in organising a magic show. The government can help by not charging entertainment tax. It should open academies to teach magic. People should also encourage if their children want to learn the art and adopt it as a profession. Schools should introduce magic as a subject.
Though none of my ancestors was a magician, my son will carry it forward. He has already staged some shows.
Karthik Hakim (student): How can this art help society?
SS: To master the art takes years of practice and dedication. Once perfected, a magician can serve society in many ways. So far, out of 28,000 shows, I have done 22,000 for charity and donated Rs 1.60 crore. I have also opened a yoga centre in Ganganagar where I provide psychological counselling to the needy.
KST: How do you manage to drive a motorbike blindfolded?
SS: It is all perfection. I won’t tell the secret, but meditation helps a lot. Moreover, I do it to spread a message of following traffic rules. I stop at every red light and slow down at intersections to tell people that if I can follow rules blindfolded, they can do so with open eyes.
RKK: It is quite difficult for magicians to attract crowd to their shows in the present age?
SS: In an age of cable network and computers, it is certainly a tough task. Hence, with the changing times, we have also added a little glamour to our shows. The interest may be dwindling but nothing charms one more than a magician.
KH: That is why you wear colorful clothes?
SS: Yes, it adds to glamour along with girls. But a magician’s costume is traditional. In ancient times, magicians used to dress in colorful attire like a king and often got rich rewards.
DM: Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot is also a magician. You too belong to Rajasthan. Are you planning to join politics?
SS: Although I have received invitation from almost all mainstream political parties, I have no intention to join one. There is a feeling among political groups that I can ensure their victory through magic. They think I can hypnotise voters. I want to make it clear that a magician is committed to his art and there is no question of misusing such tricks to hoodwink people.
Archit Watts (AW): Can you share any unforgettable moment of your life?
SS: Yes, I once went to perform in Gangtok and the shows were going overcrowded. It got so much success and forced the then Chief Minister and a number of cabinet ministers to see my three consecutive shows. It is the most memorable moment of my life and I can never forget that experience. However, a number of happy moments came into my life, still this is the best.
AW: Did you ever encounter an unsupportive person from the audience?
SS: In one show, a man who had come with his wife was irritating me. He was disturbing the audience also. I requested him to be quite but he did not listen. I changed him into a girl and only then he stopped. Later, I told him to relax as the magical trick remains for few minutes only. So, you guys also don’t ask me any disturbing question. (chuckles)
AS: You do many dangerous tricks. Any incident of someone getting hurt?
SS: Yes, I can recount one. We were performing in Bengal some years ago. A presentation was on wherein we had to cut a female performer into two pieces with an electric saw. Accidentally, the performer got injured and had to be rushed to a hospital. It was the mistake of one of the attendants. We ensured it never happened again.
JJS: Every magician has a dream trick. What is yours?
SS: Yes, I do have one. The entire world is mesmerised by the ancient Indian rope trick in which a magician makes the rope go hundreds feet above the ground without any support. The world believes it is a myth. The US government has even announced an award of $1 crore for anyone who can do it.
I want to take the rope 600 ft in the sky to claim the reward. I have already succeeded in reaching at 450 ft and hope to finish it soon. It is my dream and I wish I do it as early as possible.
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