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Ludhiana | A shrinking stage for circus artistes
For over two decades, the GLADA ground in Ludhiana has hosted top circuses of the country, but the footfall at the circus ground has declined sharply with each passing year
The fading appeal of circus groups is an open secret. Once a big part of the entertainment industry, they have fallen out of favour of the public — who have shifted to other forms of performance art.
Unsurprisingly then, back in the city after 20 years, the Kerala-based Amar circus performing at Sector 32 GLADA ground is finding it hard to pull in crowds. Due to a lack of interest among the audience, especially the youth, the organisers had to cancel the day’s first show on weekdays.
For over two decades, the GLADA ground has hosted top circuses of the country, but the footfall at the circus ground has declined sharply with each passing year.
“I remember in the 1990s when a circus group would come to the town, theatres used to run out of business as people were more interested in the Circus,” says Santosh Nair, director of the Amar Circus, based out of Palghat, Kerala.
The troupe has over 40 artists belonging to African countries, Nepal and different states of India, who enact over 15 performances — including jokers’ play, swords play, aerial acts, and gymnastics in a two-hour show. The circus has already performed in different cities in Punjab including Mansa, Rajpura, Amritsar and Jalandhar.
Starting from August 13 onwards the circus had three shows per day at 1 pm, 4 pm and 7.30 pm. On weekdays, which saw the first show getting cancelled amid poor turnout, 100-200 people visit the circus, while on weekends the number often goes over 300. The price of a ticket ranges between ₹100 to ₹200.
“The downfall in our work started from 1998 onwards when the use of animals was banned in circuses. During the 90s there were over 60 major circus groups in India, but it has come down to 10-12. As children are not allowed to work in the circuses, there are no new artists. People are not interested in working in a circus anymore,” Santosh, who joined the circus at the tender age of 10, adds.
The Covid pandemic, he says, further affected the industry — the roots of which in India go back to a century.
“With no work anywhere, many artists took up odd jobs in their hometowns and left the industry, and the shows only started again in October 2021.” he points out.
Running a circus can also be a pricey affair as a day’s cost can add up to ₹1 lakh. Santosh says rent and electricity alone cost ₹15,000, adding that it takes around ₹2 lakh to shift a circus from one place to another.
“As we perform live, it is very important to keep the audience interested, we consistently interact with the audience while performing difficult tasks, there is no room for a mistake,” said Ashu John, who is a ringmaster in the circus.
“For me, it is a passion more than work. I want to take forward the legacy of my parents, and will work as a circus artist for as long as possible,” he adds.
The circus will continue to run shows in the city till September 18.
