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Enchanting family

June 09, 2010 06:29 pm | Updated November 26, 2021 10:29 pm IST

Magicians Luna Shimada and Losander were in the city in connection with a magic convention for women. Luna speaks about women and magic

Bewitched Luna Shimada, Tara and Losander

“We just arrived this morning from Las Vegas, so we are still jet lagged. Give us 10 minutes to get ready,” says Luna Shimada, who looks more a rock star than the magician she is. Losander, her husband, on the other hand, looks the part of a magician with his cascading locks.

The couple were in the city with their elder daughter, Tara, in connection with a magic convention for women. Tara asks magician Gopinath Muthukad, the organiser of the convention, if they could go see some elephants and probably visit a jungle. He says he'll try to organise a trip, perhaps to Neyyar Dam.

The family were residing in a VIP suite at Shanthigiri Siddha Medical College Hospital. A welcome lunch: a sumptuous sadhya, was at Shantigiri Ashram and the family seemed charmed by the surroundings.

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Muthukad explained each dish to the family. He also demonstrated how best to have payasam; place a papadam on your leaf as a plate and then pour the payasam on top... Losander who was all game, tried it and even asked for a second helping. With lunch over, the couple were ready to answer a couple of questions with Luna doing the talking. Excerpts from an interview:

Magical links

My father, Shimada, is a legendary magician. He didn't believe in women being heirs to the throne and that they could do magic. Through a quirk of fate, my brother, who was supposed to be heir, was not interested in magic but I was. My father believed women should be mere assistants. I started off as his assistant. But I had the talent and passion. However, stepping into a male dominated field was tough and no, a famous magician as dad did not help. His professional enemies became mine as well. It took a lot of time for doors to open up to me. Also I guess the fact that my acts do not conform to the traditional pattern posed a challenge or threat to the other magicians. It is not my style to stick to guidelines. It is too soon to say if my children Tara, Adam and Ione will enter the field as they are still too young.

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Breaking free

I did not completely fit into the image people expected of a magician. Mine has a touch of Goth effect. I did not want to be another Shimada or Dimmare, my first husband, also a magician. I wanted to be my own magician, my own person. Magic to me is spiritual. Also being a woman magician had its set of problems; there were many glass ceilings to face. While it took Losander probably a year or two to reach where he is, it took me five years to reach where I am.

Magical couple

The magic world is small and you tend to move in the same circle. Though you try to date out of the community, you soon realise you don't speak the same language. Losander and I first met in Vienna, Austria, during a magic event. We cast a spell on each other and we are now together. Though we are a couple, we maintain separate identities in terms of magic. Mine is more dramatic whereas Losander's is more light-hearted. Losander is more of the inventor; he comes up with new tricks, while I'm more of an idea person. I have an idea; I bring it to him and he makes it real. It's good that we are from the same field as we can brainstorm on ideas.

Women magicians

When I was growing up you could count the number of women magicians on one hand. Now, though there are more women magicians, most of them lack skill. This could be because most of them train under male magicians who have a set mind set as to how and what women can and should do. Magic conventions for women, like the one organised by Magic Academy in the city, is good as women magicians have a platform to meet and exchange notes. It also encourages more and more women to enter the field.

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