I had
interviewed Magician Akash P.R. for the
magazine Megarth - which showcases Social Leaders and Organizations, Individuals and Businesses that create exponential Social Change - here it is:
What is your definition of passion and when did you discover that
magic is your passion?
Passion
means madness to me, you keep thinking about it all the time, no matter where you
are, what you are doing. You are unconsciously always thinking about it and
drawing connections from your normal life, daily routine to that one thing that
means the most to you – your passion! I discovered my passion or rather say realized my
love for magic when I was in 5th standard (approx). Everybody has
witnessed some kind of magic as a kid even if not by a professional magician.
Sometimes adults try to fool kids by telling them the reason for something
rational that they can understand by telling them that its magic. That was
beginning when a child is not taken in by the lies adults and the society
around us tries to cook up. When you are not taken in by such lies you develop
rationality after knowing how things works , you are ready to use the ability
to create myth and illusion on your command and use it to entertain people.
That is how I discovered my passion for magic.
Whenever you go up on stage to perform, what are your thoughts
before performing?
I only
think about my act, how I am going to do it. I just concentrate on my
performance. My mind is clean of any other thoughts except my next act. My
support staff takes care of the rest.
Magic is one passion that energizes you, but what are other hobbies
or activities you are involved in that keeps you happy?
Sketching
is one hobby that has been a constant part of my life along with magic. I also
paint and carve, modern art being my area of interest. Humming songs in my free
time also keeps me energized and going.
There might be ups and downs in the pursuit of your passion but what
keeps you motivated to move forward?
When a
rough/low point comes in the pursuit of your passion, you sometimes feel like
giving it all up and moving ahead with your life, with a lot less tension. But
then because it is your passion, and you cannot stay away from it you come back
to it and start working ways out. Sometimes when an act goes wrong due to some
problem in stage, props, or human fault, after getting frustrated and saddened
by it you come back and try to repair, fix or reduce chances of faults
happening. You can never let go off your passion.
What is your source of inspiration for magic?
All
creative people who have struggled hard and made a name for themselves be it in
– singing, dancing, acting or magic, etc – they all inspire me. I love reading
about them and there struggle for surviving against all odds inspires me to
keep going.
Magic has an entertainment value but can this be used for any other
purpose like spreading a social message?
Yes
surely. Magic shows can be customized to suit any social cause and spread a
message through such magic shows. We also have an organization MFR – Magic for
a Reason which solely works for giving magic a human touch. We wish to impart
social messages and uplift the society and remove the taboo associated with
magic as black magic and not as a performing art.
Please share your thoughts about the perspective towards this form
of art and its future.
Magic is an art form which needs no language to convey an idea to the
audience. Magic has a universal language which everybody understands and
everyone wants to see. But a lot of people still believe in black magic and
don’t consider it an art form. We need to work on eradicating this idea from
the masses.
The future looks bright for magic and if in India it gets the much needed government
support and government gives it the status of a performing art. Only then it is
possible that research and development in the field of magic will happen and it
would be able to regain its lost glory in India once again!
