Children mesmerised by the ‘Cardician’

Thiruvananthapuram: ‘Alice in the wonderland’ has become a daily experience for the children at the summer camp of Magic Academy. Each day at the Academy has been unraveling before them more and more fascinating facts behind the art of magic. Leaves of intriguing magical texts are turned before them by various magicians including their darling ‘magic uncle’ Gopinath Muthukad, who is also the chieftain of the institution.
The other day these kids got N.K. Sekar, a card magic expert from Tamil Nadu as their master. With his eyes shining behind the glasses, wearing a typical magician’s coat and fanning a few uniquely designed big cards on his both hands, Mr. Sekar grabbed the tender hearts.

More famed as ‘Cardician’ Sekar in the native magic circles, 65-year-old magician not only baffled his young students through some classic card manipulations, but also explained how he was taken to the world of magic. “I could find Jayasekar, my magic master only at the age of 18, because at that time magic and magicians were not as popular as it is today”, the veteran said to the keenly listening children. He said he was thankful to a leading light of Tamil Nadu magic, late Appa Durai who had identified his skill in card manipulations and inspired him to the world of cards.
Being the only magician in the country to get the unique prefix of ‘Cardician’ with his name, he has also exposed the secret behind his name. “To become a Cardician, you have to devote yourself for by-hearting tricks based on cards where knowledge is an ocean”, he advised the fresh entrants.

A specialist in ESP (Extra Sensory Perception) Card Effects, Mr. Sekar demonstrated a few mental magic effects before the kids. Consequently, Ramu Bhattathiri and Lakshmi who volunteered the veteran’s performance could not believe their eyes when cards automatically changed their designs and magically multiplied in numbers. When Mr. Sekar, with the help of young Ramu performed ‘Do-As-I-Do’ magic, entire classroom was burst in to laughter after seeing the comedy-filled magic.

His advice to the growing buds was that unlike handling magic equipments, a Cardician has to deal with cards so softly and carefully. He showed a pack of cards he has been regularly using for the past thirty years, but still has not lost its fresh look. “Card magic is an area where devotion and carefulness decides your success” he says. Mr. Sekar is also assigned to take a special orientation class for his counterparts at the Academy.