MATHDOKU
It’s 9am on a Wednesday morning. As I enter the virtually empty stands of The Rambo Circus in suburban Mumbai, Raj Kapoor’s dialogue, ‘The show must go on’, from Mera Naam Joker (1970) echoes in my mind. But unfortunately, for Rambo Circus, the show can’t go on as the entire country is under lockdown because of the coronavirus outbreak. The circus started on March 6, and was anyway battling a poor response due to the school examinations. But on March 15, things came to a halt after they were asked to shut operations.
Meena Kumari, who hails from Nepal is dressed in spangled tights as she tries to balance herself on a rope. On the other end, the white rod of the trapeze swings toward a woman who’s under the arclamps as she swings dramatically from one end of the big top to another. Kumari, who has been working with the circus for almost a decade, says that despite the lockdown, they practice daily in the morning. “We can’t stop our training. We start at around 8am and do our regular training till 10.30am. Acrobatics needs constant practice,” she says.
The 70 to 80 member crew are struggling to make ends meet. Durga Prasad, a trainer in acrobatics, who has been with the circus for 26 years, says that the situation looks pretty grim. “We need around 30 to 40 kilograms of rice and around 25 kilograms of dal every day. Besides, we also make tea twice a day. As of now, Sujit Dilip, owner, is providing us with these basic necessities, but I don’t know how long will he be able to. We haven’t got our salaries and we are okay with it, but we at least need food,” he says adding, “The circus hardly manages to meet targets on rare occasions like Diwali, Christmas and the summer holidays. With the exam season getting over, we were expecting the crowd to come in. But due to this virus, everything is gone. After the ban on animals, circus has almost become a dying breed. I hope this virus isn’t the final nail in the coffin.”
Suresh Mondal, who hails from West Bengal and has been a part of the circus industry for more than four decades, says that it’s high time the government provides some aid. “Kerala government has provided basic facilities to the circus which was going on in their state. No one has come to check on us nor have they come to educate us on the virus. I have four family members back home in West Bengal. With no salary, I am not able to send money and if this lockdown continues, survival is going to be difficult for us. The government needs to step in,” shares Mondal.
Mondal feels that even if the situation becomes better, he doesn’t expect people to come in. He adds, “Entertainment is going to be the last thing on people’s mind. Everyone needs to get back to their routine. It is going to take at least four to six months before we get back to normalcy.”
With a lockdown imposed in the entire country, the members of the circus spend time by playing board games or watching movies on the internet. Five year old Purinma Kumari, who is travelling with her parents from Darbhanga, Bihar, is unaware of the lockdown and is happily studying. “I am learning numbers and days of the week. My parents told me that we can’t go outside but I am happy staying here. After studies, they allow me to watch my favourite cartoon on mobile phones. These days, they are also free and play with me all the time,” she says.