Jammu: A young spectator was left clueless when a wristwatch he put in a box on the dais vanished, but reappeared in another chest kept by someone else in the crowd. This was just one of a dozen illusory tricks from internationally-acclaimed Gopinath Muthukad in the city today amid his cross-country ‘Inclusive India’ tour.
At this 90-minute show in CRC Jammu, the magician from Kerala packed all his dozen items with the message of ‘magic for social reform’, reinforcing the need to support persons with intellectual disabilities to integrate them with the mainstream.
“The trick banks on the technique called ‘transportation’ in our parlance,” the magician from Kerala revealed amid loud cheers, but typically refraining from disclosing the trick of the art at the presentation staged at the Jammu stopover in the second half of the two-month expedition.
In another item that appealed to the visually-impaired as well, Muthukad came up with a glass-cube. On his urging them for a spirit of togetherness, the container cracked. Even the totally blind said they “felt” the burst, which was followed by roses inside it springing up. “These flowers symbolise the innocent soul of any new-born. All of us deserve a decent life; for that we must get equal opportunities,” the magician said.
Letting the students at CRC touch the braille scripts extended to them, the magician ensured they got the right choice of aid to overcome their shortcomings. Those with different degrees of blindness invariably ended up opting for the white cane, which primarily allows the user to scan their surroundings for obstacles or orientation marks.
“Right accessories for the right people…it is very essential,” the 60-year-old wizard announced. “Often the accessories you distribute seldom cater to their exact need. It is more so in India; we don’t ensure custom-made aid to the people.”
Besides the white cane, the physically challenged require wheelchair, hearing aid, orthosis and spectacles, pointed out the illusionist, who heads an NGO named ‘Different Art Centre’, running with governmental support, at Thiruvananthapuram.
Among the other tricks were those based on ‘mind reading’ and ‘time travel’ in magic parlance. “Physical limitations often let people also suffer in socially and emotionally,” said Muhthukad, a recipient of the coveted Merlin award, considered as magicians’ Oscar.
The presentation concluded with the national anthem featuring Amitabh Bachchan on the screen with the sign language of the lines.
After drawing big crowd and receiving appreciation for the mission with which he set out, Muthukad’s next show in the 41-stop series is at Srinagar, while the previous one was at Shimla last weekend.
Muthukad began his campaign from Kanyakumari on October 6 (World Cerebral Palsy Day). ‘Inclusive India’ has stopovers along the central plains, the hilly east, Gujarat in the west and Jammu & Kashmir up north before culminating in the national capital on December 3 (International Day for Persons with Disabilities).
Muthukad has the credit of launching the trailblazing ‘Magic Planet’. Based in Thiruvananthapuram, it is the world’s first such theme park that protects public-oriented art forms and street performers. Its goals are familiarising the public with wizardry, reviving street tricks and employing this art to empower the marginalised.
The December 3 finale in New Delhi will see the participation of ministers and other parliamentarians besides top government officials. This is Muthukad’s fifth such cross-country venture using magic to spread social messages.
