The thrill of watching a magic show is not any greater than the thrill of performing the magic. You can sense the gasp that runs around the auditorium when a feat is performed. The joy and kick when the audience applaud your performance just shoots up the adrenalin and eggs you on to perform more. This is the ultimate in joy, this is the reward I crave for says world's fastest magician Jadugar Anand and he is all set to enthrall Chennaiites from Apr.4 at Kalaivanar Arangam. A journey into the minds of this gifted magician....

Magic is a pleasing and amazing art and an exhibition of practiced skills, where the laws of nature are seemingly set aside for innocent entertainment says Anand. But he maintains that his magic is no hypnotism as group or mass hypnotism is not possible. He enlightens that it is only an illusion created to cheat your eyes.

In illusion it is the eye which see a thing and conveys the message to the brain whereas in hypnotism it is the brain which dictates the eyes to see it in the way it interprets.

Anand uses hypnotism only when he calls a teenage girl or a boy or child on stage to perform his tricks.

Having staged over 27000 magic shows in 36 countries, Anand still remembers his younger days when his parents almost disliked his love for this amazing art and deciding to take it as a profession. Anand's love for the profession was so profound that he started practicing magic watching jugglers on the roadside and reading related books.

Today, he has mastered the art and gone ahead incorporating new techniques like laser lights and new mind boggling tricks to his performances.

A masters degree holder in English literature, Anand, strongly believes no skill can be obtained without practice and determination and this applies to any field.

Answering a question on why people still not accept magic as a decent profession he is quick to reply, �I am here just for that, to promote magic as an art. It is the social status, security and uncertainty of income this downsizing the field of magic. This could be changed only by establishing magic as an art form by initiating an academy.

Apart from magic the versatile Anand involves himself totally in Spirituality, -Meditation, Thapam, Dhyanam and Samadhi.- Anand also shows keen interest in human psychology.

Magic is no cakewalk

Magic as a profession is interesting and thrilling but any one who thinks it is all fun and cake walk needs to think again says Anand.

t's teamwork with around 116 groomed personnel who are involved in making the show a hit. They take up various responsibilities and the success of the show depends upon their co-ordination. It's like a mega film production .it starts from selection of venue to stage interiors.

But all the sweat, struggle, tension and toil is forgotten the moment we hear the applause of the crowd ; that is very satisfying reward and I truly makes our day.�

Anand�s Anand

What Keeps Anand going?

�If I can put thousands in to a trance and make them happy in the midst of the complicated lifestyle that we lead today then I am recharged;� he says.

S. Raghunathan