Scraggly camel show January 2010
By: Anamitra Chakladar |
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Text and photographs by Anamitra Chakladar
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Nonetheless, the show must go on – and so it does, albeit limping. But the scarcity of big animals is reflected in the audience benches, with circus revenues elso aten into by the Internet and satellite channels. The sites where circuses traditionally pitched their tents have largely vanished, taken over by eager land developers. When asked about the future, Raghavan, the Royal Circus manager, refuses to contemplate his prospects. He fondly remembers a number of famous circus groups – Jumbo, Famous, New Empire – from the days when being part of a circus troupe meant instant fame. Today, he says, these groups are a pale mirror of their past – though he does emphasise that the people in smaller towns are still drawn to the charms of his circus.
Part of the draw has included juicing up the show, with a significant emphasis put on trapeze acts. Two scantily clad young gymnasts from Ukraine, Anna and Olga, are the stars of this performance. But the suspicion lingers that those who do turn up are not getting nearly the show that flabbergasted me 30 years ago. True, one is still entertained by the clowns and gymnasts, as well as by the circus master, dressed in all his finery and cracking his whip at a motley crowd of ‘ferocious’ animals. But today, the feats of such beasts have been replaced by the barks of dogs and the occasional trumpeting of an elephant. The motorbikes and jeeps jumping through flames, meanwhile, look positively pre-war era. Can any of this ultimately compete against the wiles of modern digital entertainment?
The proof may be in the pudding: after seeing the show just once, my son says he doesn’t want to go again. I fear this may well be the epitaph for the Indian circus.
Anamitra Chakladar is a photojournalist based in Delhi.
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