The nation’s once grand circuses are finding it tough to compete with movie theatres, malls
THE TORONTO STAR, February 11, 2008
SONYA FATAH
KALYAN, India–Hindi film songs crackle over old-school speakers drifting into the busy streets outside. Under a faded striped tarpaulin speckled with holes, the sun’s rays spray a hundred little spotlights on the mud stage.
On the once-red carpet that covers the stage, two dwarfs and a teenager spank each other with plastic paddles, setting off titters among the uniformed students sitting in the rickety wooden bleachers.
Uninspired musicians listlessly play tunes from a raised platform over a board with “Rayman Circus” painted in scarlet letters. The tent is barely half full.
Rayman Circus is 84 years old, and it shows. In its heyday, decades ago, the circus was the biggest draw in town, pulling large crowds under roomy tents of brilliant colours showcasing fabulous acts, with lines of anxious customers hoping to get last-minute seats.
Today, however, like Rayman, the Indian circus industry is in decay.
New competition – vast movie complexes, huge suburban malls, modern theatres, and television entertainment – has grabbed the spotlight in the 21st century.
Meanwhile, the circus has limped into this age, and been gently edged out to suburban areas and smaller cities like Kalyan, 50 kilometres northeast of Mumbai’s city centre.
“Now they’ve constructed these tall buildings and glossy structures, there’s no space for us in the cities anymore,” said Rameshwar Prasad, who has spent 35 years as a labourer in the circus.
Unable to afford steep rents, upgrade its decaying facilities or attract the middle-class audiences it once entertained, the Indian circus is inching its way to oblivion.
The decline began in earnest in 1998, when the Indian government banned circuses from using bears, monkeys, tigers, panthers and lions.
At the time, the Indian Circus Federation boasted 33 large circuses. After the ban, most closed down.
For Rayman Circus, the notification, upheld three years later by the Supreme Court of India, proved to be a devastating blow.
Its 14 elephants, 55 horses, 50 tigers, lions and chimpanzees had always left crowds awestruck. Today, its parade of performers is a sad spectacle. Apart from a few foreign performers and an unsmiling crew of local entertainers, there is the roster of unhappy animals – four heavily scarred elephants, three aging camels and a dozen parakeets.
“Most of the circus owners these days are keeping the circuses going because they are legacies,” said Rajan Pillai, manager of the Rayman and four other circuses. “They are supporting them through their other financially viable businesses.”
Indeed, it is difficult for the circus to earn much revenue. Gallery seats are priced at 60 cents, and the most expensive seating is $2.50.
Every year, the circus loses between $25,000 and $38,000, said Pillai. Local politicians often demand free tickets for their families. “This season I’ve already given away 19,000 free seats,” Pillai said.
Most of Rayman Circus’ performers are students from India’s southern province of Kerala or from its eastern states. They earn about $75 a month and send the money home to parents who are either unemployed or earn very little.
“At least we have a job,” said Rajna Borathogi, 18, from Nepal, whose father is a labourer. “There are so many educated people who don’t have a job these days.”
While many animals are on the outs, every Indian circus retains its retinue of performers popular for their slapstick comedy acts.
“I’ve been in the circus 10 years,” said Ganesh Das, 24, a dwarf from Guwahati in the eastern state of Assam. “Sometimes the work is hard and the pay isn’t enough, but it’s fun when the audience enjoys it.” Das earns $90 a month for performing in three shows daily.
The pay is better for foreign artists who hail from countries like Uzbekistan.
“This is good for us,” said Ramil Yerzin, 26, from Tashkent, who is on contract for six months with Rayman, and performs juggling and acrobatic acts with wife Shaknoza, 22. “After working in India, we can get work in Malaysia, Singapore and other countries.”
For many in the audience, however, the animals are the main draw.
“Oh, he’s so big, wow!” squealed a young boy as two elephants performed.
“Indian people don’t care so much for live human acts,” said Pillai. “They want to see animals, wild animals. Lions and tigers.”
In their absence, many believe the circus is doomed.
“Oh the circus was a real treat in the old days,” said Prasad. “The circus lost its vitality after they stopped the animals.”
Pillai adds: “It’s already over. It’s just staggering to its death.”
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