Call it a sleight of hand or pure science, but making historic monuments like the Taj Mahal or the Victoria Memorial or even a train full of passengers "vanish" seems like child's play for magician Prodip Chandra Sorkar, who is now set to cast his web of magic here.
Beginning May 10 and continuing for one whole month, the world renowned conjurer known as PC Sorcar junior is teaming up with daughter and fellow magician Maneka to celebrate 100 years of "Indrajal", a show filled with mind boggling tricks and illusions that was passed on to him by his father, legendary magician P C Sorcar Sr.
"Indrajal is neither a sleight of hand, nor trickery but a combination of science, arts and psychology. What we see today as science was magic yesterday and what we see today as magic, will be science tomorrow. All these animations and latest technologies that you see today, are something people would have considered as magical before their advent sometimes back", P C Sorcar told PTI in an interview.
In a career spanning four decades, the Kolkata-based magician has presented numerous acts among which spectacular and unforgettable have been making the Taj Mahal and the Victoria Memorial "disappear".
Some of his other famous illusionary acts also include Phycho Kinesis (making objects move, bend and float in air), cycling on deep water, and making a train full of passengers disappear.
The veteran magician who has been combining a mix of spellbinding theatrical elements like drama, fantasy and scientific illusions to create astounding performances for over 40 years now says he was influenced by his father into joining his family's traditional work.
"There is magic in everything we see and we do. If someone for eg Sachin Tendulkar plays good cricket, you call him "cricket ka jaadugar", or when you see a good actor, you may call him " cinema ka jaadugar". Similarly, I felt that my father was a "jaadu ka Jaadugar- a magician of magic" and that is what brought me into this field and same holds true for my daughter," says Sorcar.
During the month long display in Delhi, Sorkar and his daughter would present magical plays "Lahe-Lahe", "X- Ray eyes" and the "Revenge".
"These will be a mix of traditional and the contemporary. All the contepmporary acts have been conceptualised by me and nobody has ever done it till now," says Maneka Sorcar who holds an MBA from Ohio University and who says she turned down a lucrative job in the US to learn magic.
Sorcar says his daughter's contemporary acts will help to "immortalise" the art of magic in India and the world.
"Celebrating 100 years of 'Indrajal', is a way of thanking our forefathers, who through their skills of creating scientific illusions have transformed the future of modern magic. It is an overwhelming experience for me and my daughter to take forward the Sorcar family's legacy" says Sorcar.
"We as artists always work towards adding colour in people's lives through our shows. Having the opportunity to perform 'Indrajal' in the presence of various crowds in different parts of the world, has been a humbling experience which has only added substance to our performance," he adds.
"Magic is my inheritance. It is personally a great moment of pride for me to be able to take this legacy forward and be a part of the celebration of magic through 100 years of 'Indrajal'. We are constantly evolving newer ways to mesmerise our audience and hope to continue in winning many hearts through our small world of illusion," says Maneka.
The father-daughter duo is also planning to soon start a "Gurukul", an institution to train magicians and teach them the art of magic, something which they has never been done in the country in an organised manner.
Meanwhile, the one-month long event organised by ADS Events will be conducted daily at the FICCI auditorium here.
