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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Thrills, roars and cheers under a giant marquee

Rambo Circus pitches a tent in MMR Mumbai : Mumbaikars are thronging to rediscover the joys of stunning, live entertainment as the familiar Rambo Circus has pitched a tent in Borivali West, before it shifts to Navi Mumbai from December 2.   This is billed as the first major full-scale season post-Covid-19 pandemic, which had led to a near washout of shows owing to social-distancing norms and public fears. The tent is now attracting a strong public response, said Rambo Circus Director and...

Thrills, roars and cheers under a giant marquee

Rambo Circus pitches a tent in MMR Mumbai : Mumbaikars are thronging to rediscover the joys of stunning, live entertainment as the familiar Rambo Circus has pitched a tent in Borivali West, before it shifts to Navi Mumbai from December 2.   This is billed as the first major full-scale season post-Covid-19 pandemic, which had led to a near washout of shows owing to social-distancing norms and public fears. The tent is now attracting a strong public response, said Rambo Circus Director and owner Sujit Dilip.   “We get good crowds on weekends and holidays, but weekdays are still a struggle. Our fixed expenses are around Rs. One Crore per month. Costs have gone up nearly ten times on all fronts in the last five years, and the 18% GST is killing. We manage around 1,500 shows annually, but barely break even, with wafer-thin margins,” said Dilip, 50.   The logistics alone are staggering. Rambo Circus travels across India with an 80-member troupe of acrobats, aerialists, sword balancers, jugglers, jokers, rigging crews, support staff, massive equipment, and a few mechanical animals.   “Many of my people have spent their entire lives under the tent. We live like a huge family. I try to support their children’s education, medical needs and help them build some financial stability. But without resources, it is becoming increasingly difficult,” said Dilip, his voice weary after decades of struggle for survival.   He reminisced of the golden era of Indian circus, around the second half of the last century, when there were many grand, full-scale circuses, but today barely half a dozen professional setups remain - Gemini, Golden, Ajanta, Asian, Great Bombay, and Rambo - along with a few smaller, local outfits.   “Unlike most countries where circuses come under the Cultural Ministry, India offers no institutional identity or support. I am invited as a jury member to several top annual international circus festivals. I feel sad as not a single Indian artist features on global stages. We just have no backing here,” Dilip told The Perfect Voice in a free-wheeling chat.   He said the decline accelerated after the ban on live animal performances nearly 20 years ago in India. In contrast, many foreign circuses still feature elephants, horses, bears, zebras, llamas, tigers, leopards, lions, and exotic birds - though most face heavy resistance from animal-rights groups.   “Moreover, ticket rates in India are among the lowest in the world, without tax concessions. In foreign circuses, even in smaller countries, tickets start at Rs 10,000 per head. We can’t dare match that…” he rued.   Yet, the thirst to lure audiences remains undiminished. Rambo Circus now leans on technology and innovation, featuring a mechanical elephant, a giraffe on stilts, stuffed zebras, deer, bears and horses, and has commissioned a Japanese company to design a robotic lion to perform tricks.   To make the shows more interactive, MoC – a tall senior joker – invites the young audience members into the ring to try small acts like skipping, jumping, or dancing with help from the midget clowns, and the kids’ shrieks of joy echo through the tent, as their parents furiously click videos and selfies.   Dilip recalled that during the pandemic lockdown, when survival seemed impossible, Rambo Circus pioneered online ticketed shows, selling nearly 50,000 virtual tickets - the highest among circuses worldwide at that time, and earned praise by international peers.   “We are swimming alone… For us, it’s not just entertainment. It is art, heritage, livelihood, identity, and passion - and we will fight for a dignified existence,” Dilip said quietly.   Rambo Circus’ emotional tug at PM’s heart Rambo Circus Director and owner Sujit Dilip appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help save this art form with a huge potential to generate jobs, discover talents, earn massive revenues and foreign exchange.   “We urge the PM and ICCR to give Indian circuses a formal status, affordable venues for our shows, extend bank loans, opportunities for skill-upgradation, foreign collaborations and inclusion under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ CSR list. Many corporates wish to help, but current rules prevent it,” Dilip told The Perfect Voice .   He recalled how, during Covid-19, Rambo Circus launched online shows and sold nearly 50,000 tickets, proving the potential of Indian circus talent and earning acclaim worldwide for his innovation. “Our dream is to make India’s circuses world-class, and we need government support to achieve this,” he said.   History of circuses – Roman Arenas to open maidans The name ‘circus’ had its origins in ancient Rome, where chariot races, gladiator clashes, displays/deadly fights between wild animals and condemned humans enraptured audiences in huge open arenas. Later, circuses began modestly in 1768 with horse tricks performed by Philip Astley, a London cavalryman. Then, came the modern version of live performances by horses/ponies in the US in 1793, and in the 1830s, wild animals were introduced.   Many Hollywood films featured circuses as the backdrop. The most memorable ones are: Charlie Chaplin’s “The Circus” (1928); Walt Disney’s “Dumbo’ (1941); Cecile B. DeMille’s 2 Oscar Award-winning “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952); biopic on P.T. Barnum “The Greatest Showman” (2017), et al.   Bollywood’s own legendary ringside acts were in films like Raj Kapoor’s “Mera Naam Joker” (1970); “Chandralekha” (1948); “Appu Raja” (1989); “Circus Queen” (1959); “Shikari” (1991); “Dhoom 3” (2013); and the howlarious circus climax in Firoz A. Nadiadwala’s “Phir Hera Pheri” (2006), etc.

Diplomat with a Dagger

After the Pahalgam massacre, India’s foreign minister emerges as its wartime envoy-in-chief.

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The Pahalgam massacre of more than 25 innocent civilians has comprehensively shattered the illusion that cross-border terrorism had been contained. It has propelled India into a diplomatic offensive not seen since the aftermath of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed public vengeance, warning that the perpetrators would face retribution “beyond imagination,” the strategic charge has been handed to Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister.


Jaishankar has long been the architect of India’s assertive foreign policy. Post-Pahalgam, he has become its principal executor. The responsibility now rests on him not only to shape the global narrative in India’s favour but also to diplomatically isolate Pakistan while preparing the international ground for potential escalations.


Within hours of the attack, Jaishankar convened emergency briefings with envoys from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and ambassadors from 30 other key nations. The corridors of the Ministry of External Affairs buzzed with urgency as diplomats from the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain were ushered into closed-door sessions. Representatives from Japan, Qatar, Germany, Italy and the European Union received dossiers and a clear message: India will not tolerate terrorism as business-as-usual.


As is his wont, Jaishankar has been characteristically clinical in giving Pakistan its comeuppance. A week prior to the Pahalgam strike, he had reminded the world that Pakistan’s “bad habits” had persisted since 26/11, referring to the coordinated terrorist attacks in Mumbai. The difference this time, he implied, was India’s resolve. “India has changed. I wish I could say the same about Pakistan,” he declared recently. “But they continue with the same playbook.”


The playbook is familiar: denials, plausible deniability, and shadowy links between state actors and terrorist proxies. But India’s response has drastically evolved. In a move heavy with symbolism and strategic consequences, India immediately suspended the Indus Waters Treaty within hours of the Pahalgam massacre.


Jaishankar’s tremendous credibility has been pivotal in steering international messaging through this crisis. He is not a bomb-thrower in the rhetorical sense, nor does he indulge in tub-thumping nationalism. Instead, he embodies a more surgical assertiveness. He is a diplomat who believes in calling bluffs, not raising decibels. His meeting with Israel’s ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, shortly after the attack was no coincidence. With Argentina’s envoy, he discussed strengthening bilateral ties and welcomed Buenos Aires’ condemnation of the attack. The subtext in both meetings was unmistakable: terrorism is no longer a regional nuisance but a global challenge. You are either with us or with the apologists.


What gives Jaishankar an edge is not just his fluency in foreign policy but his rapport with foreign policymakers. A former ambassador to both China and the United States, he has cultivated relationships across ideological lines and strategic divides. He can speak realist security jargon to Washington, evoke civilizational history with Beijing and cite multilateral legal frameworks in Geneva. He is as comfortable on social media as he is in Track 1.5 dialogues. Crucially, he has the full trust of PM Narendra Modi.


In the past, India’s responses to terror attacks were largely defensive and careful to avoid escalation. The Jaishankar doctrine is different. It is premised on deterrence through punishment and diplomacy through deterrence. It seeks not merely to ‘internationalize’ India’s grievances but to build a coalition of empathy and exasperation. The global situation favours India as well. While China had pledged to boost cooperation with Pakistan on infrastructure and mining projects, including developments in Gwadar Port, there are growing signs of strain between them with Beijing reassessing its investments.


Russia, on the other hand, has reaffirmed its special and privileged strategic partnership with India. President Vladimir Putin emphasized the commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation across all areas. Military cooperation remains robust, exemplified by joint naval exercises and the commissioning of Russian-made warships into the Indian Navy. All this is coming to roost has India prepares to deliver a ferocious response to Pakistan.


In the chessboard of South Asian geopolitics, the framing of moves matters. In this, Jaishankar is proving to be India’s grandmaster. The man who once penned foreign policy briefs is now scripting history. The world is watching, and he knows it.

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