Messiah of low cost magic making

Photo: Senior magician, M.P. Sadasivan honouring magician Balan Neeleswaram (left), the propagator of low cost magic making by presenting Magic Academy's honour.

Thiruvananthapuram: This is Balan Neeleswaram, the pride of Neeleswaram and a brother close to the hearts of magicians from Manjeswaram to Parassala. He dreams of bringing low cost magic equipments on the native stages, just like the Tata Nano cars brought to the roads.

Not a single magician in Kerala is unaware of this resourceful magic maker who produces cost effective magic equipments. Mr. Balan has been a savior at their doorsteps, whenever there is a need for economic magic props. When magicians struggle to meet the ends together due to soaring prices of magic equipments, he provides them economic alternatives.

Today (12/01/08) he was at Magic Academy teaching his counterparts the art of making cost effective alternatives in magic. He astonished everyone of them by adeptly performing the famous 'Water of India' trick using a commonly available petty stainless steel tumbler. Magicians acknowledged the magic maker's deftness by giving a round of applause.

Mr. Balan's darling disciple, Yadunath Palliyath, in complete magician's attires, was there to help his master. He performed items one after the other and established efficiency of the magic gadgets made out of commonly available things. Mr. Balan's fifteen year-old career as a magic manufacturer has earned him an array of customers including a few famous magicians of Kerala.

He swears that magic props made out of easily available low cost materials will never affect the charm of the show. When he touches, even thrown away materials like worn out parts of umbrellas, electronic equipments and old cardboard boxes turn into awesome magic props. His cost effective model used to visually cut and restore a girl on stage, is of high demand among magicians.

Mr. Balan has never been a disciple to any magic master. His magical knowledge was earned years back, by way of keenly watching the performances of tent magicians at temple festivals in Kasaragod. Making magic equipments in a cheaper way later became an engrossing pastime for him.

Photo: Magician Balan Neeleswaram with his self-made economic magic materials.

While looking back he also recollects a few unhappy incidents. Once a magician absconded without paying a single penny, after gathering from him a worthy stock of cost effective illusions. Mr. Balan is also apprehensive of parents who use to gather fame by way of forcing their children to do magic on stage. But as if a duckling to water, this imaginative magic maker's 3-year-old son Adarsh Balan has already started toddling behind his father.

Earlier at Magic Academy, senior magician, M.P. Sadasivan honoured Mr. Balan by presenting a memento.