Indian Circus

The Indian circus is one of the most brilliant art forms of our time. The contemporary circus, as described by Philip Astley (seen as the founder of the modern circus), has been performing in India since the 1880s. India, on the other hand, has had street shows analogous to circuses since ancient times. In 1879, Giuseppe Chiarini’s Royal Italian Circus visited India. Vishnupant Chatre bought a lot of the circus equipment that Chiarini sold. Within a year, he launched the Great Indian Circus, a new circus firm. This is India’s very first circus. The Father of Indian Circus is Vishnupant Chatre. We will now see the history of the circus in India.

 HISTORY OF CIRCUS IN INDIA

Chatre’s Great Indian Circus visited Thalassery, Kannur, Kerala in 1888. Chatre met Kalaripayattu (a sort of traditional martial art) and gymnastic trainer Keeleri Kunhikannan in Thalassery. Keeleri Kunhikannan and Chatre made an agreement in which Keeleri Kunhikannan pledged to train the trainees for the circus and Chatre agreed to engage them. To this end, Keeleri established a new circus school in Chirappuram, Kannur, near Thalassery. His training centre was known as the All-India Circus Training Hall. Kerala’s government established a Circus Academy at Thalassery, Kannur, in 1901. It was the country’s first government circus academy. 

FATHER OF INDIAN CIRCUS

Prof. Vishnupant Chatre: Known as the “Father of the Indian Circus,” he is a master in equestrian arts and singing. He began his career as a horse trainer for the Raja of Kuruduwad, where he was born in Ankalkhop, Maharashtra. Chatre once went to William Chirini’s Italian Circus in Mumbai with the Raja, where Chirini criticised the fact that Indians would have to wait several years to start a circus. Chatre was inspired to start his own circus as a result of this. Its first show was held in 1880. 

MODERN INDIAN CIRCUS

Although India has a much older heritage of travelling entertainers, comparable and parallel to those of Asia and Europe, and who frequently cross-pollinated with them, the circus culture in India comes from the late nineteenth century. However, according to the concept of the art form founded by Philip Astley in 1770, the first Indian circus did not debut until 1880.

 GREAT ROYAL CIRCUS

The Great Royal Circus, one of India’s oldest circus troupes, dates back to 1909, when it was known as Madhuskar’s Circus; it was taken over by N. R. Walawalker in the 1970s was renamed the Great Royal Circus. Animal trainer Narayan Rao Walawalker made it one of the few Indian circuses to tour abroad, visiting Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Asia.

 GREAT BOMBAY CIRCUS

In 1920, Baburao Kadam founded the Grand Bombay Circus. It began its tour in Sindh and Punjab, both of which are now Pakistani provinces. In 1947, Keeleri Kunhikannan’s nephew, K. M. Kunhikannan, a versatile artist who founded the Whiteway and Great Lion circuses, amalgamated his two enterprises with the Grand Bombay Circus, renaming it Great Bombay Circus.

After K. M. Kunhikannan’s death in 1953, his nephew K. M. Balagopal took over as the Great Bombay Circus‘s principal partner. The circus, which employs 300 people and boasts a menagerie of more than 60 animals, has grown to become one of India’s largest.

MAJOR INDIAN CIRCUSES

Some of the major and most famous circus in India are the Rambo circus, Ramyan circus, Gemini circus and the Jumbo Circus being the biggest of all. 

CONCLUSION

The Indian circus industry has a lengthy history, and comparable events were held in other parts of the country even before that. In the 1990s, India hosted more than 300 different circuses. However, the number of circuses in India has been drastically reduced, with fewer than 30 circuses operating across the entire country. This bad situation is not unique to India; circuses all over the world are battling to compete with modern entertainment sectors that are much more accessible and transportable as a result of technological advancements.