PANAJI
For many people, the circus was once the main source of fun, along with cinema, dramas and magic shows. Bringing back that old charm in a modern form, The New Golden Circus, with a team of over 50 artists, has arrived in Mapusa and is waiting to begin its first show in Goa.
The circus has been in the town for almost two weeks, but the shows have not started yet. According to owner Prakash Mane, the team is busy completing the formalities to get all the required permissions.
“Most of the permits have been issued. We are now waiting for the fire NOC, which we hope to receive on Monday. After submitting it to the local police station and the concerned authorities, we will get permission to start the show,” Mane told The Goan.
Calling the situation difficult, the 58-year-old said, “Our circus is currently on oxygen. We have been trying to get permissions for the past three months. After the Birch fire incident, the administration became stricter and made the fire NOC compulsory. We are hopeful of starting the show in a day or two.”
Mane belongs to the third generation of a circus family. The business was started by his grandfather Ramappa Mane and later run by his father Mahadev Mane. However, his two sons have chosen not to continue the family tradition.
“I educated both my sons, but they do not want to run the circus,” he said. The elder son, aged 28, runs a vada pav kiosk, while the younger son, aged 24, works as an Ola taxi driver.
Mane said he has lived with the circus since birth. “My father died when I was just two years old, and since then our family has been travelling from city to city for shows,” he shared.
He also announced that he plans to quit the circus business after the Goa shows. “Running a circus has become a burden. Inflation is rising, new rules are coming in, and we have to look after the food and salaries of all the artists. The business is now on the edge of survival. I will soon take circus-sanyas,” he said.
Explaining the financial pressure, Mane said that during the Covid pandemic he paid his artists for 24 months even when all shows were cancelled. “As per our agreement, we must pay them for two shows every day even if the shows do not take place. The third show is paid at half the salary. That is why we always try to hold three shows a day, so that we can manage the payments.”
The New Golden Circus has artists from Nepal, Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Maharashtra. Mane himself hails from Sangli in Maharashtra.
The ban on animal shows has deeply affected the circus industry. “Today, we do not have a single animal. Everything is done by artists and jokers,” he said. There is also a ban on child artists due to child labour laws. “Children learn gymnastics very easily, but adults find it difficult. However, because of the ban, we cannot train or employ children,” Mane added.
Circuses are also facing a shortage of dwarf jokers. Mane said that if a person with disability takes up a circus job, the government stops their financial aid as they are considered employed. “Many prefer to stay at home and receive benefits rather than work in the circus,” he said.
To keep children entertained, the circus has brought a gorilla costume from China. “It looks real, and one of our artists acts like a gorilla. The children enjoy it a lot,” he said.
Mane recalled the golden days when his circus had 14 lions, three elephants, a bear and imported parrots. “After the ban, I handed over all the animals. They were never ill-treated. They were our main attraction and were always ready to perform,” he said, adding that he has invested around Rs two crore in the circus infrastructure.
Once the authorities give the green signal, the New Golden Circus will hold shows in Mapusa for 30 to 35 days. There will be three daily shows at 1 pm, 4 pm and 7 pm, each lasting about two hours, with a seating capacity of 1,000 to 1,200 people.
With fingers crossed, Mane hopes the curtains will finally rise very soon.
