Madari: India’s street magicians fighting to keep a disappearing art alive

For many artists, Covid made a bad situation worse.

When India imposed its 2020 lockdown, public performances stopped. Many magicians returned to their villages; some never came back.

“We saw a decline in public performances after this period,” Dhanda says. “The brunt was especially harsh for street magicians and performers, many of whom did not return to cities.”

For the artists who did return and continue the trade, the challenges only increased.

Shahim Khan, 42, still performs magic on Delhi’s streets, sometimes with his 12-year-old daughter, Alia.

Much of his work is now confined to industrial areas, far from the busy public spaces where he once performed, hitting his earnings hard.

Before the pandemic, he could stage four or five shows a day, earning 1,000-1,200 rupees.

“Now I barely manage two shows and earn 200-400 rupees,” he says.

The rise of short-form digital entertainment has added to the pressures on traditional performers, experts say. So have changing attitudes towards street arts.

“There was a lot of Western interest in things like the rope trick decades ago. But forms and tastes have changed, and so has what India chooses to showcase,” Dhanda says.

For Khan, the loss is about more than money. He fears an art passed down generations could disappear if no-one learns it.

“A trick can survive only if someone learns it,” he says.

His son, Altamash, began performing with him as a teenager but now works decorating parties with balloons. In his 30s, he has largely left performing behind.

Years without regular practice have dulled his skills. When he demonstrated his juggling for the BBC, he struggled to find the rhythm.

“I am slowly forgetting all the tricks,” he said.

Khan had hoped his son would carry on the family tradition. Altamash had hoped to make a name for himself too, but it did not work out.

“I knew I may not achieve the fame my father has, but I did not think there would come a time when performing would not remain an option,” he says.