A Visit to a Circus

Entertainment is the spice of life

Human beings, young or old, men or women, rich or poor, all want some kind of entertainment to make life cheerful. Thus entertainment is the spice of life.

A circus

There are several means of entertainment. But one of the most popular means is the circus show.

Last month, the Gemini Circus reached our town. At night, I saw bright searchlights moving across the sky in all directions. I learnt that it was emanating from the circus pandal pitched at some meters away on the outskirts of the town. I could also hear loud musical notes emerging from the same source.

I became eager to see the circus, as I had never seen one before in my life.

To the circus with a friend

I went to the evening show of the circus the next day. My friend, Gopal, was there with me. We bought the tickets after standing for a while in the long queue outside the booking window.

Evening show

The matinee show was about to come to an end. We could hear guffaws of loud laughter from inside the huge tent. Sometimes, we could hear the loud shrill cries of small children. My curiosity got more and more sharpened. Meanwhile, we buried ourselves in having a look at the large posters depicting various animals like lions, tigers, elephants, bears, monkeys, horses, etc. engaged in precarious feats. Some posters showed the clowns; others showed some smart, semi-clad girls showing their acrobats on rope wires, ladders, or nets, and others were busy cycling speedily on the track.

Entry

As the matinee show ended and the spectators came out of the pandal in a very jolly mood, we entered it and occupied seats on the second row. Within a few minutes, the bell rang and the show started.

Acrobats

Acrobats were the first people to enter from the Green House and occupy the stage. They saluted the audience and started their feats. They were wearing bright golden coloured satin vests and tight leggings of the same fabric.

As the acrobats were having a quick round of the spacious arena, some men were nimbly fixing up a huge nylon net and a number of hanging swings from the roof of the tent. Instantaneously, the acrobats started their awe-inspiring feats, All the spectators were all eyes to the smart, agile acrobats.

The agility with which those young girls and some handsome boys hung upside down and changed the swings was indeed, beyond description. After showing their mettle for a while, all of them quickly jumped on the swaying net and made their exit.

Elephant playing football

Then came an elephant who played football. Sometimes, it threw the ball so high that it fell on one or the other spectator. As the football was made of some very light and soft material it did not cause any injury to the spectator on whom it fell. But every time the football fell on somebody, there was a burst of loud laughter circling throughout the improvised auditorium. Particularly, the children giggled loudly.

A bear and a monkey riding bikes

Thereafter, a bear came riding a bicycle. It was followed by a monkey doing the same act. There was virtually a race between the two. The monkey seemed to be a slow coach. But, surprisingly, as they neared the winning post, the monkey suddenly so speeded up that it stole a march over the bear who was left behind and was halted at the improvised gate. As the gate bar was lifted, the bear rushed away on its bike ringing the bell with a deafening sound.

Riders on bikes, motorbikes

After that, a man on a bicycle appeared. He showed several tricks with his bike. Sometimes, he became dead slow and even standstill while still riding the bike and sometimes, he would rush forward. Sometimes, he jumped from the seat onto the carrier, sometimes on the middle part of the handle, and sometimes on the frontal bar. Sometimes, he suddenly turned the handle or the bike itself backward. Thus he showed many tricks.

Thereafter, the cyclists came who showed several incredible feats. Similarly, a number of tricks were shown by the riders on the motorbikes. After that, a man was made to lie on the ground with a wooden plank on his chest. Soon a speeding jeep came and passed over the wooden plank placed on the man’s chest. The man stood up smilingly. He remained unhurt.

A girl put her head into a lion’s mouth

Then a man moved on his motorbike over the entire surface of an iron globe. A girl put her head inside the open mouth of a lion. In another feat, a man threw sharp knives all around a standing girl. The girl remained safe and sound.

Clowns

After all these breathtaking tricks were over, a group of clowns came. They were wearing motley dresses and had multicoloured coned caps on their heads with ringing bells on their waists and ankles. They made the spectators burst into a horse-laugh. I was convulsed with guffaws of uncontrollable, involuntary laughter.

Other tricks

There were several other items of mirth, all of which were liked by the spectators.

After the hilarious show of about three hours was over, we came out of the tent. We were brimming over with joy. Certainly, the show was worth much more than the price of the ticket. Only one thing disturbed my mind. It was that those poor animals who did so much for our amusement probably deserved better protection and treatment at the hands of man. I vowed always to take care of animals – maybe wild or domestic ones.