These wizards wield a certain kind of magic

What would a school of magic look like? A tall castle atop a hillock, beneath cloudy skies, surrounded by dark forests, and darker alleys leading up to it? Well, that’s just Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, JK Rowling’s fantasy. Real-life magic school, Karnataka Magic Academy Trust is a far cry from that. There are no wizards and witches zooming about on broomsticks, but yes, some here do defy gravity. Or perhaps, walk on water. Or better still, levitate.

Ugesh Sarcar has done all these stunts and more, on the streets, in front of a spell-bound audience for national television. This young magician, voted India’s No 1 street magician, is a product of this academy. Now its general secretary, Ugesh learnt his first tricks from his father, Prof MC Sarcar who founded the school 30 years ago.

Ugesh’s father is equally famous. He was awarded the title ‘Prince of Magic’ in 1965 by the then prime minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri. Eager students from all corners of the globe, age no bar, come to learn magic under these illustrious masters. Till date, the magic school has trained close to 8,000 students, says Prof MC Sarcar. KMA is just about as close to an enchanted space as one can get. One of Asia’s largest magic schools, the academy’s founding aim is to demystify magic, to prove to the multitudes that magic is pure science with a lot of tricks and kicks thrown in.

Magic kits, multiplying bottles, disappearing bunnies, rope tricks, break-away magic wands, flash flower wands, wonder finger chopper (the scary looking blade passes right through the finger, the cover warns. ‘Safe and easy to use’, comes the disclaimer), wonder money maker (‘make millions magically’), future fungus…adorn the reception area of the school.

“All these tricks and kits were designed by me years ago,” says Prof MC Sarcar, who got enamoured with magic when he was eight. When Sarcar began teaching magic, 40 years ago, magic was still not taken seriously. There was also scepticism and even fear about magicians, who were seen as a tad shady. Ever since, it has been Sarcar’s endeavour to bring honour to magic. That’s why he set up the KMA.

“Here, what we impart is educational magic. As students learn the tricks, we hone their memory, build confidence and also teach them patience. With a sharp mind, confidence and patience, there’s nothing that can beat them. It is magic therapy,” says Sarcar, whose students come from a spectrum — “from those who haven’t even cleared their SSLC exams, to doctors and engineers”.

Some students have gone on to become professional magicians, while some studied magic as a hobby. One of his favourite students – Pooja – once held a magic workshop for 140 pupils, single-handedly, Sarcar says proudly. He certified her ‘Princess of Magic’. Incidentally, she is a commercial pilot. Another student, Anil Gupta, set a new record for stopping his pulse for 3 minutes 42 seconds on a reality serial on Zee TV. Many of his students are foreigners. His youngest pupils are seven-year-olds, while the oldest student so far has been a 92-year-old American.

Mastering magic isn’t easy. Street magic is the most challenging. You may swoon at the ease with which Ugesh walks in the air, from the roof of one skyscraper to another. But you should know it actually took him relentless practice for 16-18 hours a day, for a couple of years, before he walked up to pedestrians and confounded them with his bizarre and crazy stunts. To him, magic also means rigour.