Magical wings

KOCHI: Magic can do wonders. And creating that wonder is magician Nipin Niravath through his ambitious project Shanthi Manthra 2012. Often during festival times when everyone is enjoying themselves, children less fortunate, either due to mental or physical disabilities or being orphaned feel left out.  Being a magician, he knew he could make people smile and felt he could easily bring a few moments of joy in their lives. It was this thought that prompted Nipin to come up with an initiative called Shanthi Manthra. Not only does Nipin perform for the children, he also teaches them simple, easy magic tricks that never fails to delight his young audience. “Normal children come with their parents and enjoy these shows. But these simple luxuries are denied to the other kids. That was the reason I thought of using my vocation in a way that would make happy,” says this native of Kottayam, who has currently shifted to Kochi.  Every month, Nipin visits one charitable organisation or the other and spends a few hours entertaining children with his magic. “Their smile is the greatest gift one can get. After each trick they clap and it is an encouragement. It shows that they can register the magic demonstrated,” says Nipin who has been performing magic for the past 20 years.Through Shanthi Manthra, the magician intends to cover every district and corner of the State and perform for challenged youngsters. “After getting permission from the respective organisation, I go and perform before the children,” says Nipin whose first performance was in Sneha Nilayam in Chembanmukku, last month. Nipin also holds the record for being the youngest magician in Kerala attempting the ‘great fire escape act’ in 13 seconds which he performed in 1999. “I was 18 when I did that act. I was captive with 35 locks and was put in a 15 ft haystack, that was set ablaze. In 13 seconds I had to dismantle myself and appear back from the stack.” Though Nipin was always interested in magic, he didn’t take any formal training in it. These were his growing up days, and his parents too didn’t particularly approve of him taking it up as a vocation. Amazingly, Nipin acquired the art by trying out the tricks that appeared in popular children’s magazines. “I was in class 3 then. I would read the tricks that came in Balarama and Poombatta, and try to replicate them. That’s how I began,” says this self-taught magician.Apart from giving stage shows, Nipin has always had a bent for social activity.  As a part of US’s AIDS awareness programme in 2003-04, he performed street magic in various rural areas for truck drivers and workers to drive home the message. “Another campaign was to create an awareness against the frauds practised by self proclaimed holy men. People often fall for their fake tricks like oozing  blood from lemon, taking holy ash from air and the like,” he says.Nipin’s next programme will be on February 17 at Asha Bhavan in Ponkunnam, Kottayam. After completing the journey of Shanthi Manthra, he plans to take his magic to old age homes.