Pakistan is land of variety, and so are the
professions. Jugglers are a very common sight in Pakistan. They provide us
amusement and fun. They are generally found in small towns, villages, and at
fairs. In a big cities like Lahore, we come across very few jugglers because
there is not much open space where a juggler can give his performance. Besides,
there is much hurry about every thing and a great rush of traffic. The police do
not allow them to show their feats which may attract big crowds. People have so
many other attractions and means of recreation that they show no interest in
the antiquated tricks of the jugglers. The educated people in particular can’t
afford to waste their time over it.
A juggler, however is popular among women, children
and old men. They stand amazed at his wonderful tricks and gimmicks. They
consider him to a magician.
A juggler is very shabbily dressed. He has a long loose
coat, a big turban, a dhoti, and a pair of old socks. Often he has big earrings
and some tiger rings, which give them a funny appearance. They often carry a
drum and a flute. He has with him a small boy who carries his stock-in-trade in
a hag or basket and the bag contains the articles which a juggler needs for the
show.
At first the juggler selects a suitable place for
the performance. He spreads a piece of cloth on the ground and begins to play
on the flute. The boy with him begins to beat the drum. The juggler is adept in
playing on the flute. He can produce different tunes so as to attract a
sufficiently large crowd of people before beginning the tricks. He is clever,
witty and quick in movements. All the time he is smiling. He surprises the
spectators by his timely jokes and witty remarks.
A juggler has many gimmicks to show He generally
begins with the card tricks. He can correctly tell the card which is pulled out
of the pack by a spectator. He shows other feats of wonder. Then he shows ball
tricks which are very interesting and surprising. He takes a number of balls
and throws them up in the air in quick succession. The balls keep revolving in
a circle without any of them falling on the ground. The feat depends on the
ingenuity and regular practice. Sometimes the juggler asks a man to give him
his ring and covers it with a piece of cloth and waves his magic wand over it.
When he removes the cloth, the people are amazed to find that the ring has
disappeared. The owner is anxious to get back the ring. When the juggler sees
that his patience is exhausted, he asks some other person in the crowd to
search his pocket. Much to the bewilderment of all, the ring is found there and
thus handed back to the owner.
He also shows a mango branch sprouting into a young
tree. His basket trick is also very interesting. He puts a big basket over the
boy. He runs his dagger through it many times. The people shriek and cry. They see
the sword covered with blood. They think that the boy must be dead. But when he
removes the basket, they see nobody under it. The boy comes from somewhere in
the crowd and is quite safe and sound. The people shout with joy and cheer the
trick.
With the help of his wand, the juggler can multiply
the number of his currency notes and coins and becomes rich for a short time.
But again he is the same poor man loitering from place to place in search of
bread.
The juggler’s skill requires dexterity and a long
practice. He earns a living by his quick feats and the eye cannot follow his
movements. He is active and smart, but with all that he is generally poor.
After the performance he goes round with his howl
asking the spectators to put something in it. The spectators drop some coins in
that howl. This is how he earns his living and remains in tattered lathes and
is generally semi-fed.