Dare-devils wow city

SURAT, Dec 11: There were no tickets for the show, nor any advertisements. But the crowds came anyway to watch Raju Cyclemaster and his t...

SURAT, Dec 11: There were no tickets for the show, nor any advertisements. But the crowds came anyway to watch Raju Cyclemaster and his troupe present their acts of dare-devilry, liberally peppered with masochism and sleights of the hand.

For the past five days at Adajan, between the hours of 8 and 10 in the night, scratchy tunes from the the 1970s hit Laila Majnu rent the air as blood oozed from the Cyclemaster8217;s fresh, self-inflicted razor wounds. The blood is very much real, though the grief is feigned, and to enthrall8217; the awe-struck crowd even further, he smashes glass bottles on his forehead and swallows whole tubelights, cycling all the while inside a circle formed by the curious hordes, thus justifying his name. 8220;Khatronse khelneka shauk hain hame8221;, he announces, much to the wonder of the crowd.

About the only trick Cyclemaster 8212; 23-year-old Raja Chaudhary, to give his real name 8212; would never try would be with the police. Gore and gullibility are all right to make a living, but dare the police? No way. And so the Cyclemaster and his troupe stick to the villages and outskirts of towns, where his brand of entertainment goes down the best.

A huge stone is placed on the chest of one of his troupe members. Cyclemaster breaks it into two with a heavy hammer. Another performer grabs a snooze on broken glass pieces.

But the climax comes on Wednesday 8212; after five-days of non-stop cycling from 23-year-old Rajubhai 8212; with the Samadhi8217;. A pit large enough to accommodate him and his cycle is dug in the ground; the sides are raised with mud and a passage created for his entry. Then, around 3 p.m., Rajubhai goes into samadhi8217; and the entryway is sealed.

After an elaborate ceremony performed by the troupe leader, accompanied by non-stop commentary 8212; 8220;It8217;s nothing less than a miracle. Can a man survive without air? The Cyclemaster will.8221; 8212; heavy-on-emotion Hindi film songs, Rajubhai finally emerges at 9.15 p.m., seemingly not a bit worse for the wear after six hours in an 8220;airless8221; cavern.

But, presumably unknown to Rajubhai, the other members of the troupe have managed the curious crowd to part with 8220;awards, prizes and gifts8221;. They were richer by at least a couple of thousands of rupees by the time the tamasha ended.

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8220;We never mention this stunt while seeking permission from the authorities8221;, says a candid Cyclemaster. 8220;We choose the venues carefully to avoid attracting the attention of the police or the municipal officials.8221; They all also go by the same generic name to avoid unwanted attention.

Artistes in their own right, Chaudhary and his men get to keep all they earn; and though the audience is mostly poor they earn enough to lead a decent lifestyle. 8220;Now this is a business for me8221;, he adds. And cheap entertainment for the scores 8212; including policemen from the Icchapore police station 8212; who gather to watch them.