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Clowning around, in style

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Clown festival at High Street Phoenix at Lower Parel on Saturday
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It was a heady concoction of bright colours and palpable excitement at High Street Phoenix mall in Lower Parel. It was not an ordinary day, and these were not ordinary people. With ties the length of a man, shoes as big as watermelons, red noses and whackiest hair colours, the first international clown festival of India made a comeback to Mumbai after two years on November 1.

It was a six-hour show which showcased the talents of seven renowned, world class clowns who also taught the crowd juggling and making animals with balloons apart from holding shows, parades, music gigs and performances.

The producer of the festival, Martin 'Flubber' D'souza, an Amboli resident, undertook a course to become a clown in 1990. Ever since he saw the quality and intensity of clown performances abroad, he wanted the same in India. With his yellow hair and blue outfit, Flubber was brimming with hopes and dreams. "I have been planning this event since 2004 and wanted these great clowns in my country. My dream was finally realised in 2010 when we had our first festival in India. We have been touring in various cities across the country for a month now and tomorrow (Sunday) we have a show at Phoneix market city in Kurla," he said.

When asked about about the image of clowns in India, Flubber says that they have come a long way from being mere circus clowns with cliched performances. In a bid to create awareness, he will also be conducting workshops this Monday. He is the regional director of west asia and middle east operations of WCA. He teaches courses in entertainment, juggling, clowning and compering. "When I began, kids used to chase us and hit us, today they welcome us with hugs," said flubber.

Deanna Hartmeir aka DeeDee, the president of the World Clown Association from Canada was present along with Bekha Smith aka Lo Lo from USA who is a world juggling champion, apart from Ron Johnson aka Toto, a clown for more than 30 years, Molly Kleeman aka Skiddles and co-owner of Laughter without Borders Valerie Meiners aka Puff. Ravindran aka Coconut flew down from Malaysia especially for the event. "Indians are generally happy people," screamed Skiddles.

Ashwini Syed, a 39-year-old Versova resident was visiting the festival for the first time. "There is a world of difference in these clowns and the clowns we see in circus. They are a class apart and make everything look so easy. I learned how to make balloon animals and my children had so much fun," she said.

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