And the magic continues “No performer should attempt to bite off red-hot iron unless he has a good set of teeth,” said Harry Houdini, one of the greatest magician in history. Houdini's real name is Erich Weiss. He was born on March 24, 1874, in Hungary. He was known for his escape acts and stunts. He was also known as the “Handcuff King” for he could escape from almost any pair of handcuffs!
Jumbo trick
One of Houdini's greatest tricks on stage was called “The Vanishing Elephant.” An elephant was led into a cabinet with curtains at the front and doors at the back. The curtains were closed and then opened.
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The cabinet was empty and the elephant had vanished! The audience could see all round and below the cabinet, but they could not see the secret compartment on one side where the elephant was hidden. Houdini died in 1926.
Sanjana J. of Std. IV, St. Anthony's reveals, “We get to see many unusual tricks in a magic show. I saw the magician stuff a piece of cloth in his mouth which he later removed it from his ear! Such tricks totally get my attention”.
Samala Venu, a magician, illusionist and hypnotist, who has performed more than 6000 shows in 24 different countries says, “Ever wondered about the mystery behind magic words like “abracadabra, hocus pocus, presto?” Mr. Venu resolves saying, “These words are used because they have no meaning. My magic word is Hanky Panky Gili Gili Choo “.
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“By performing magic one can improve one”s IQ as it involves logic, alertness, quickness, concentration and even confidence levels increase”, explains Mr. Venu, “I am the director of Indian Institute of Magic and Research. Here we teach magic to children above 10 years old. More than 500 magicians have been trained in this institute”.
So let the magic begin.