Clown Princess

THEY said I needed balls to do this. And that I could have my pick8212;paper, plastic or bean. I was more than game. A flaky hat and a clow...

THEY said I needed balls to do this. And that I could have my pick8212;paper, plastic or bean. I was more than game.

A flaky hat and a clown nose slapped on, I am ready for my first lesson at Alisha and Deborah8217;s Circus Academy in Mumbai.

A tiny room in a central Mumbai chawl landmarked by a beer bar named WWF, Alisha and Deborah8217;s office isn8217;t as jolly as the name suggests.

But the bright red clouds painted on the walls make a brave attempt at concealing the leaky evidence of the day8217;s downpour. Unicycles and colourful hats serve as wall decor. And few hosts will offer you an oversized globe to sit on, for want of furniture.

I8217;m faced with an odd instructor couple8212;Alisha Shaikh, 28, a small-time entertainer with 10 years8217; experience, and Deborah Martin, 25, a French school teacher who teamed up with him last year while backpacking in India.

8216;8216;Wow, it8217;s like magic,8217;8217; I exclaim, as her agile wrists rotate five balls in a perfect sphere. Instantly, the temperature in the room plummets and two pairs of angry eyes glower at me. 8216;8216;We8217;re not magicians,8217;8217; insists Shaikh. 8216;8216;Magic is easy. This requires talent.8217;8217; Apparently, in the juggling universe, a magician is the lowest form of life.

I8217;m supposed to start off easy8212;with tiny beanbags, one throw at a time. 8216;8216;Don8217;t let it out of your sight,8217;8217; Martin warns. So here goes one, up in the air, then another. Hey, this isn8217;t so bad, I sigh with relief until she throws a third one at me, then a fourth. And suddenly it8217;s snafu time.

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While Martin falls back laughing, Shaikh applauds my goof-up. 8216;8216;It8217;s good to drop the ball. Only after it8217;s fallen a hundred times can one hope to be a successful juggler.8217;8217;

I8217;m informed that I could learn a thing or two from my co-pupils. Which is very embarrassing, since most of them are less than half my age.

Shaikh and Martin take classes at the American School of Bombay and have also conducted workshops at kiddie birthday parties for celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan and the Ambanis.

8216;8216;It8217;s easier for the young ones to pick this up because their minds are fresh,8217;8217; explains Shaikh. They8217;d love to take on more serious students,

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but a majority of Indian entertainers opt for concealing coins over throwing balls.

In the West, however, it8217;s a different story. Jugglers are a close-knit community and meet every year in Europe for an International Juggling Convention.

For now, the couple8217;s only other students are neighbourhood kids and friends. 8216;8216;People don8217;t realise the therapeutic values of juggling,8221; says Shaikh. 8220;It improves concentration and relaxes you.8217;8217;

Juggling, of course, is only one part of the syllabus. There8217;s something else as insurmountable8212;the walking globe.

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8216;8216;Trust the ball. Don8217;t fear it,8217;8217; says Martin as I try and clamber onto the sphere. It8217;s like trying to climb a mountain of jelly. But instead of sinking in, you just fall off.

I don8217;t think any of this needs to go with a disclaimer. Kids wouldn8217;t be able to try this at home, even if they wished to.

Ok, now I8217;ve managed to stand up straight, my head a few centimetres from the ceiling, and Martin8217;s confident that I won8217;t slide off if she lets go. So much for that as I land with a thud on the hard marble floor and the ball rolls over me. Maybe I have a future as Roadrunner8217;s understudy.

Obviously, advanced tricks like flinging fireballs is out of the question, so my last hope at saving face is the unicycle, a one-wheeled number with no brakes or handles. It8217;s only a wheel, I reason. How difficult can it be? After being thrown off five times, I quietly retreat.

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You8217;ve got to have flair in the world of entertainment. 8220;Your style has to be unique. Ours is all the different kinds of stuff we juggle8212;balls, bats, fire sticks, rings and ropes,8217;8217; says Shaikh. I wonder what my signature would be. Maybe I could join in for the comic segment where dropping everything is mandatory. I8217;d be a natural at that.