Bengal govt to set up magic school and museum on history of magic

Kolkata, Oct 30 (IANS) A full-fledged magic school is going to be set up in the state to bring the magic art of West Bengal to the new generation, government officials said on Friday.

In addition, a magic museum on the history of magic in Bengal will also be set up to preserve the long history of Bengali magic practice, rare equipment and the contributions of artists.

Preparations for the implementation of this plan have begun under the initiative of the State Information and Cultural Affairs (I and CA) Department.

The state government has formed an advisory committee to prepare the outline of this project.

The country’s eminent magician P.C. Sorcar (Junior) is the chief advisor of the committee. He has been joined by several other eminent people who have been associated with the magic art for a long time.

Initial discussions have already started on how the school and museum plans will be implemented.

The first formal meeting of the advisory committee was held at Nandan Auditorium in Kolkata on Friday.

State Minister of State for Information and Cultural Affairs Department (Independent Charge), Purnima Chakraborty, and Secretary of the Department Soumitra Mohan were present there.

P.C. Sorcar (Junior), his wife Jayashree Sarkar and daughter magician Maneka Sarkar also joined the meeting.

The meeting discussed the curriculum of the proposed magic school, the type of training, the infrastructure of the museum and the possible outline of the project implementation.

The issue of establishing magic not only as stage entertainment, but also as an independent art and science-based practice also gained importance in the discussion.

After the meeting, P.C. Sorcar (Junior) said that the history of Bengali magic is very rich and ancient and that tradition needs to be preserved in a scientific way.

According to him, there is science, practice and special skills behind magic.

“If this initiative of the state government is implemented, the new generation will get the opportunity to choose magic as a profession. The school can also play an important role in creating interest in this art among the youth,” he said.

One of the goals of the proposed magic museum is to preserve the history of magic practice in Bengal.

According to the Information and Cultural Affairs Department, there are plans to preserve the lives and work of prominent magicians of Bengal, the history of different stages of magic, rare equipment used, old clothes and ancient books.

Through this, visitors and researchers will get the opportunity to learn about the evolution of the art of magic and the techniques used at different times.

On the other hand, there is a plan to provide training to experienced magicians in the magic school.

A specific curriculum may also be created for that training.

In addition to teaching magic techniques, there are plans to provide lessons on stage presentation, sleight of hand, holding the audience’s attention and the science behind magic.

Purnima Chakraborty, Minister of State for Information and Cultural Affairs Department, said that the aim of this initiative is to institutionalise the ancient arts of Bengal.

According to Chakraborty, the state has always given importance to the practice of art and culture.

“If a magic school and museum are established, it will be possible to present this tradition to future generations in a more comprehensive manner,” she said.

–IANS

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