The apprentice

Sadhu

The apprentice

As usual I was completing my round around the lake in the morning, my usual bench was vacant, I sat down and started enjoying the beauty of the lake in cool breeze.

I was absorbed in my thoughts when I felt the presence of someone coming and sitting by my side, I was irritated and did not bother to acknowledge his presence.

“Sorry to disturb your concentration.” I heard a meek voice addressing me in Hindi. I looked from the corner of my eyes still ignoring the guy, a short thin young man of less than 5 foot height in shabby cloth was looking at me with a broad smile. His honest smile disarmed me.

“Yes” I said.

“Do you have some time to listen to my story? I am not asking for any money”

I frowned at him and thought why not, I may hear an interesting story; I am always looking forward for a fresh plot.

“Why chose me?” I asked him mischievously.

“I am coming to this lake for the last one week and have been observing morning walkers, from my experience of dealing with various cross sections of people you looked to be the one who will sympathetically hear my story.”

His words inflated my ego and I was all ears for his story.

Babulal started his story, oh yes I forgot to mention he said that his name was Babulal.

I am an orphan from Moradabad, I was adopted by a Sukhram, a madari.” I hope you know what a madari does?”  he asked me.

“A street magician!” I said and added , “I am from Delhi and during my childhood I was fond of watching these street magicians performing tricks without any proper props , pretty challenging with people all around.”

“Yes that’s it and I was his assistant.”

“Then you must know secrets of some of those tricks?”

“Yes certainly I do.By the way Sukhram and me moved to Delhi, there is money in Delhi. We were performing mostly in North Delhi. I will go in advance and hire some people who will become the initial crowd and also they will be helping us indirectly without others knowledge.I will memorize their names and tag those with the colour of their shirts.”

“Oh, I have seen this magic. So you are the one whom Sukhram will pose as though hypnotizing and then you will fake a fall like a dead wood on the ground, Sukhram will cover you by a white cloth. Then Sukhram will ask you to tell the names of the people from the crowd whose colour of shirt he would mention.”

“Yes, you got it!” he said sheepishly.

I was enjoying this discussion as now a days I consider myself to be a good YouTube magician. I remembered that during my school days in Gol Market ,Chummeries once I have seen a Madari performing a trick which I could not figure out, now I got the chance to know the secret of that trick from Babulal.

“Did Sukhram perform rotating bidi trick? In this trick the magician sticks a nail on the ground and then on that puts a bidi horizontally, the bidi starts rotating.”

Babulal smiled and said, “Yes I know that trick.It is very simple, it requires preparation. I will go in advance and bury an old watch mechanism in the ground  where Sukhram will come after ten minutes to show magic. After that I don’t have to explain you how it works.”

“Oh! you rascal, then it is simply pushing the nail where the shaft of the watch would have been, as the nail is round so it’s slow rotation is not noticeable, once the bidi is placed then the bidi becomes the seconds hand of the watch and rotates.”

“Yes, that’s it!” he won over my heart.

“Ok, how come you are in Kolkata now.”

He continued his story.

The street magicians were harassed by police, whenever any robbery was there we were the first to be hauled up, whereas it was the gypsies from Rajasthan who were the real culprits so we had to windup our business; I joined a Sadhu and helped him to perform miracles. The job was similar, the tricks were more sophisticated. Because of my small frame I was chosen to help the Sadhu in levitation. I will be holed up below the throne of Sadhu for one hour in the evening when during the peak kirtan time with lot of smoke coming out of incense sticks in the dim light the Sadhu will start his meditation and I will crank the hydraulic jack below his throne when the disc on which he is sitting would slowly rise above the throne. His white robe will screen the hydraulic shaft, the chanting devotees will see the Sadhu by yogic power levitating above the ground. There would be madness all around, for those ignorant it was the ultimate show of divine power. It was a better life but then that one hour was so claustrophobic that one night I ran away from the ashram and came to Kolkata by hitching a ride on a truck.

“Now you guide me what should I do for a living. I can be a good apprentice of a magician as i know most of the tricks.”

Babulal offered me a choice unwittingly, after my retirement I always thought of an alternate career , here is that opportunity for me of either to become a full time magician with Babulal as my assistant or  also i can become a corporate Sadhu with him helping me in all those Sadhu stuffs like ashes falling from my pictures or water of India etc.I thought that Babulal with his small frame can remain invisible in a crowd , his exposure with the street Magician and the Sadhu has made him street smart. He is an asset  worth investing time and money.

I gave him 500 rupees and told him to meet me at the same place after a week.

I am still thinking about my future course of action..…….