Legendary magician K Lal is no more

The curtains fell, once and for all, on the life of a magician who mesmerised the young and old alike for over 60 years. Kantilal Girdharilal Vora, better known as K Lal, died at 6:40 am on Sunday at his home in Ahmedabad.

The 88-year-old magician, who was battling cancer, perhaps had an inkling that the show was about to end. That could explain why he had insisted that he be shifted from SAL Hospital, where he was undergoing radiation treatment, to his home on Ashram Road.

“He wanted to be around his loved ones. He did not like the hospital surroundings,” said his son Harshad Vora, better known as Jr. K Lal.

The grand old man of ‘Indian magic’ had given his last performance two months back to a packed house at HK College.  About a year back, he was diagnosed as suffering from brain cancer. Doctors had asked him to undergo radiation treatment for a tumour in the brain.

“But as the side-effects of radiation therapy include possible paralysis and loss of vision, he refused. He was instead given chemotherapy and even doctors were surprised when his tumour disappeared,” said Junior K-Lal. 

But the cancer returned. During his last performance at HK College he developed pain in the leg. Later, tests revealed that the tumour had returned.

“He underwent radiation therapy at SAL but his condition deteriorated and later his kidneys also stopped functioning,” said Vora.

K Lal will be cremated on Monday at the Mukti Dham crematorium on SG Highway. His funeral procession will begin at 10:30 am and will pass through Navrangpura, Vijay Char-rasta and Drive-in Road before reaching the crematorium.  Credited with 20,479 performances, K Lal was known to have close to 2,000 tricks up his sleeve, 75% of which were his own.

“A trick should never be repeated too many times. It loses its secret and you lose your audience,” K Lal used to say. He was also very eager to pass on the baton to young magicians so that the tradition of ‘magic performances’ would continue long after he was gone.