[Kaumad]

20-25 years ago, when we were growing up [well, most of us on TBHP ], there were a few very well-proven means of outdooe entertainment for us kids. What were they? - going to places like Cubbon Park, Lalbagh? Circus? Movies, of course?.....and P.C. Sorcar's magic show, whenever it visited town!!

In today's cyber-age - how may of us have the inclination to go see something as simple, tried-and-tested as a magic show?

For the past few weeks, we kept driving past the poster that announced P.C.Sorcar's magic show, at the VBJ corner next to Gemini. Almost everyday, I used to look at the poster and remark to my wofe that I used to go see them when I was a kid. And we used to leave it at that as soon as we drove past it.
One fine day, when I made the same remark, my wife said - hey, why dont we actually go see the show with our kid? She would love it! Honestly, I really dont know why that did not occur to me.

Okay, we looked up online, booked through bookmyshow.com and off we went yesterday and man, what a beautiful evening it was!!
My daughter and needless to say, my wife, me and my in-laws too enjoyed it thoroughly!! Some of the feats and items were still awesome and Pouroosh [the grandson] did a fabulous job of starting the show. After about half an hour, none other than P.C.Sorcar Young [The father, mind you. He is referred to as 'Young'] The father still has the same presence he had 20 years ago!! - what a man! His performance, his voice, his energy completely defy his age! His items ended with a standing ovation - what an experience!

You know what the highlight of the entire 2 hour performance was? Pouroosh handing out 'magic' candies from his earthen pot Oh boy you should have seen the kids all running towards the stage - was a sight to watch.

Guys in Chennai, please go watch the show if you can with your families. You will not regret the money and time spent!! They are here only for a couple more weeks. It is happening at the Karnataka Sangha school on habibullah road.

Sometimes, the simpler things in life are what give you the most happiness and this show proved it. It was such a beautiful experience, considering what internet and connectivity has done to our generation!

[condor]

@Kaumad, thanks for sharing this. Hope the Chennai BHP-ians do notice your thread and experience the show.

Suggest you get the title edited to include Chennai & PC Sorcar

On another note, life has changed beyond recognition. The simple things we used to do as kids are often not available now. Could be something as simple as playing cricket on the streets, or the tops we used to spin. Today we dont even find space to park our cars on the road, and children think the made-in-China bey-blades are amazing. Going to a movie was fun - there were not too many other things to distract us from the movie experience itself. But today, it's about a day in the mall.

[Rahulkool]

Some 2-3 years back me and my friends thot it will be interesting idea to watch the pc sorcar magic show. so 4-5 of us went to the same place you went, parked the car and entered the place. Believe it was so mind numbingly boring that after 30 mins or so we thot of leaving and came out but the idiots had parking in such a way that we cannot take our car untill show was over and other cars were removed. The rest of the show was the worst kind of torture i have ever been, it was boring, repeative combined with very poor presentaion skill. I have seen this magic show when i was kid and as far as i remember it was fun that time.

No offence to the thread starter, i can totally see you how you have connected your childhood memories with this. Above opinion is just mine, many people might enjoy the show :-).

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Kaumad

Sometimes, the simpler things in life are what give you the most happiness and this show proved it. It was such a beautiful experience, considering what internet and connectivity has done to our generation!

Thanks for starting the thread. I don’t believe there is much of innocence lost, especially with the kids. The options are still around but I guess it’s we, the parents who choose to give it a miss, more for our convenience. Happy that you took the step and made your kid happy .

Originally Posted by Rahulkool

Believe it was so mind numbingly boring that after 30 mins or so we thot of leaving and came out but the idiots had parking in such a way that we cannot take our car untill show was over and other cars were removed. The rest of the show was the worst kind of torture i have ever been, it was boring, repeative combined with very poor presentaion skill. I have seen this magic show when i was kid and as far as i remember it was fun that time.

This is precisely the problem which I wanted to mention to Kaumad in the response above. For an adult, some of these shows maybe utterly boring, devoid of logic etc. But for a small kid, it maybe the best thing in the world (for that moment). Maybe that’s why you enjoyed it when you were a kid.

I recently had a talk with my wife on similar matters. There was a Disney show here, and I wanted to take my daughter for that. My wife was of the opinion that it’s not worth spending time and money for a boring 2 hours show. Finally on the last day, I decided to take my daughter, and just two of us went for the show. It was a well choreographed Disney on Ice show, and the excitement on my 4 year old’s face was so priceless. Personally for me, it was boring in the beginning, but once I started sharing her excitement, it was two hours well spend. At times it makes a lot of difference to think in the child’s perspective.

[condor]

Originally Posted by vb-san

The options are still around but I guess it’s we, the parents who choose to give it a miss, more for our convenience. Happy that you took the step and made your kid happy .

.. There was a Disney show here, and I wanted to take my daughter for that. My wife was of the opinion that it’s not worth spending time and money for a boring 2 hours show.

While I am not qualified to comment on this, would still like to mention that we may find the shows boring, but we need to see it from the kids' perspective. It is something different, and exciting for them. Seeing the kids happy is what would make the parents happy.

@VB-san, good that you still decided to take your daughter for the show.

[Kaumad]

Thanks for your feedback guys.

Honestly, I think it is our mindset which determines whether the show / items are boring or not.

Take a simple feat for example - pulling out bunches of flowers one after another from a seemingly empty vase or reading what members from the audience wrote on a blackboard, while being blind-folded.
You have two choices.
1. You cringe and say - come on man, I have seen this on TV a million times and it is the lamest thing to do on the show.
2. You clap and say wow - how on earth did he manage to do that and look at the expression on your child's face!!

Choose how you would like to react.

Yes, I do agree that we have seen such feats umpteen times on TV but believe me, being physically part of the entire experience is what makes the difference.

Rahul, no offence mate but I think the mistake you did was to go with "your" friends. This show is mainly for children and it definitely is not an adult entertainment show.

Although my daughter loved the show, I realised an important thing. My respect to the Sorcar family increased multi-fold. Going back to what I said in my first post, in today's cyber age, this family has successfully managed to hold on to their family tradition. Just FYI, Pouroosh is the 9th generation magician in the family. Yes, 9th !!
They are still able to draw full houses not in small towns but in metros. Sorcar father still performs and he is still a charmer!
A distinct feeling when I came out of the hall at the end of the show - deep respect to the Sorcar family!!

[Suess]

Originally Posted by Kaumad

...
A distinct feeling when I came out of the hall at the end of the show - deep respect to the Sorcar family!!

we had similar feeling when we went there too 3 weeks ago i guess with our 5.5 yrs old daughter and her friend of same age. they enjoyed it a lot. our daughter showed one small trick to young P.C. Sorkar and in return earned his autograph on back of the ticket. she is still keeping those candies which she collected at end of the show as memorabillia

[condor]

Originally Posted by Kaumad

Honestly, I think it is our mindset which determines whether the show / items are boring or not.

.. I realised an important thing. My respect to the Sorcar family increased multi-fold. Going back to what I said in my first post, in today's cyber age, this family has successfully managed to hold on to their family tradition.

@Kaumad, good example there .. I think we should consider who is the intended audience for the show, and if the Sorcar family is doing justice to that group.

Let us not judge the show by checking if we liked it. Like you said, this is not an entertainment show for adults. It is meant for kids, and let us give the kids this experience.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by vb-san

Thanks for starting the thread. I don’t believe there is much of innocence lost, especially with the kids. The options are still around but I guess it’s we, the parents who choose to give it a miss, more for our convenience.

well said sir!

I was having this opinion built up inside me and at some stage earlier this year I talked to my wife about it. She quite agreed with my opinion and recommended to do as we liked to.

So the mall trips are not being planned any more. Visits to the multiplex are cut out. Instead I am focussing on getting my son to a situation where he can choose what he wants to do. I dont want him to have a childhood from the 80s, but he should know what the options are and be able to decide what pleases him more.

We went flying kites the weekend before last. I have forgotten how to do it, but it was worthwhile to see the excitement on my son's face.

I am going totally OT, any plans for the PC show in this side of the country anytime soon?

[Rahulkool]

Originally Posted by Kaumad

Rahul, no offence mate but I think the mistake you did was to go with "your" friends. This show is mainly for children and it definitely is not an adult entertainment show.

I know mate, maybe i was expecting more out of this show. But as far as i understand magic is all about surprises, innovation and presentation. The tricks which they were showing were age old, actually i could remember that i had seen few of the tricks 15 years back. Come on man, the world has moved on, you have keep up with the pace. I am all in for children to have these experiences, even i would like to take them in parks rather than rubbish malls. But as a magician show it was not upto the mark :-)

Originally Posted by condor

Let us not judge the show by checking if we liked it. Like you said, this is not an entertainment show for adults. It is meant for kids, and let us give the kids this experience.

I don't think magic shows are only for kids.

[Mik]

I experienced the PC Sorcar magic as a kid some 17 years ago. I still remember the "Water of India" jug. Does he still do that ?
Also read about the time he made the train on kharagpur station disappear and the taj mahal too. Ofcourse - with the influx of Criss Angel and David Blaine on TV- the old tricks may seem a bit bland and tacky.

[scopriobharath]

Now-a-days Magics and Magicians have thinned down a lot. Magic is no more a fantasy or entertainment. There are hardly any magicians putting up shows in large auditoriums

• There are numerous "All you need - Magic Kits" avaiable from as low as 200/-.
• Almost all tricks are exposed on the internet. Just search and you would find the base trick. I mean if a magicial bends a spoon, the same technique is used for fork, knife, iron rod etc.
• "Breaking the Magician's code" on AXN has revealed all tricks known so far.
• A Greater section of People Prefer IPL and movies to Magic show and Circus.
• It was a misconception that Magicians really posses some power. Later people became matured that its just a "trick".

[doxinboy]

As a teenager during Doordarshan era, I used to do shows, it was an awesome feeling to be introduced as Jadugar, the energy when you wield the white tipped wand and the spell of abracadabra was truly spellbinding experience. From a magician's perspective it is never enough to see people drop their jaws in awe. Now, being a teacher for college kids, I have a ready audience and the itch to amuse them would never go away. The reason this art is fading as a mass entertainment is due to the alternative entertainment boom during this decade and easy access to the "secret" and the conviction amongst the audience that it's 'just a trick'. The supernatural sheen is gone.

[Rahulkool]

Originally Posted by Mik

I experienced the PC Sorcar magic as a kid some 17 years ago. I still remember the "Water of India" jug. Does he still do that ?
Also read about the time he made the train on kharagpur station disappear and the taj mahal too. Ofcourse - with the influx of Criss Angel and David Blaine on TV- the old tricks may seem a bit bland and tacky.

Yup, they still do that.

[supremeBaleno]

I did not do a magic show, but took along some 6 kids (my son + his cousins) to a Circus at Kollam Stadium grounds some months ago. The kids enjoyed it, which meant that my money/time/effort were well spent. And I also liked some of the tricks on display.

Closer home, I used to earlier wonder what made my son sit glued to the TV for hours watching Chotta Bheem, Mr.Bean etc. But after some time spent with him watching these shows, I found that it was interesting - sort of like returning to the reading Amar Chitra Katha days of my childhood, just that kids today 'read' it off the TV.