Circus losing sheen

There was a time when circus was a major form of spectator entertainment in the country and attracted huge attention whenever they arrived in a city. People then used to make a beeline to buy the tickets, so that they can enjoy the amazing performances of artistes, animals and the clowns with their families.

Cut to now, there is no tiger or elephant and hardly any crowd. More than 25 artistes are performing for three shows in a day, and nearly 15 persons are helping them as backstage crew. Over 400 chairs were put, but there were only 15-20 viewers. The Royal Circus is in town!

Though the history of the circus in India has always been a continuous struggle for existence, the animal welfare concerns, Covid pandemic and lockdown woes have steadily chipped away at the foundations of the industry.

The daredevilry, the grand parades of colour, pomp, clowns and performing animals, acrobats jumping through hoops of fire, the nerve-wracking stunts on motorcycles and jeeps and other tempting feats of human skills and discipline, which used to be the only live entertainment for children, has now become a thing of past for most people.

All these things now seem less magical to a generation of children which is surrounded by numerous online streaming platforms, video games, multiplayer online role-playing games and loads of other entertainment options.

Not only has the rise of other modern entertainment means, but ban on the use of animals and employment of children less than 18 years of age has pushed circus industry on the verge of extinction. A dwindling audience, high rate of entertainment and other taxes, lack of governmental patronage and escalating establishment costs have led artistes to face empty chairs, thus making it extremely difficult for them to earn a livelihood. However, despite so many odds stacked against it, some optimistic circus companies and artistes believe that nothing can replace the circus and the industry will rise from the ashes.