Great Royal Circus to perform in Margao after two decades
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, JAN 12
Come January 14, and the Great Royal Circus will perform in Margao after a gap of two decades.
The circus will be inaugurated at the hands of Chief Minister Digambar Kamat in the presence of MLA Damu Naik and MMC Chairperson Sushila Naik.
Circus coordinator Makhrand Pandit said the acrobatic performance by the African artists will be the star attraction of the circus.
Pandit admitted that the circus has lost its sheen since 1998 after the government banned use of animals, but hastened to add that the performance by elephants, besides the dog show are now hit amongst the children. “The law on Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act has banned use of Tigers, panthers, bears and monkey in the circus. This has taken away the sheen of the circus”, Pandit admitted, but said that the Great Royal Circus has kept pace with the changing times by roping in the African and international artists.
On the future of circus in the country, Pandit said that the Great Royal Circus has opened a circus Academy in Kerala to impart training to young minds. “Experts from Ukraine and Russai have been roped in to train the latent talent”, he said.
He said the Great Royal Circus is one of the oldest circuses in the country, having toured 24 countries across the globe since the last 131 years.
Replying to a question, Pandit said that the circus evoked encouraging response from the people at Mapusa during the Christmas and New Year festivities.
The circus in Margao will be open for the public for a period of 39 days before curtains come down on the extravaganza on February 21.
