“Cirque Du Soliel” which means “Circus of the Sun” was entering India for the first time with their World theatrical premiere of “BAZZAR”.”BAZZAR” is the touring wing of the company which has a permanant show in Las Vegas and will be visiting 400 city’s but the “BONNY SHOW(Hindi slang for FIRST)” was in Mumbai.A first outside premier for the company as all the previous premiers were held in Montreal , the city in which “Cirque Du Soliel” was formed in 1984 by two street performers Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix. The rest is Showbiz history with the company now being the largest theatrical producer in the World. Having visited 76 Country’s to date and entire India barring the Lakshwadeep Islands it would be sacrilegious for me to miss a once in a lifetime World class 21st century circus.Booked my tickets for Thursday(22/11/2018) a month in advance through “Bookmyshow.com” costing a princely Rs 1850 for the cheapest last row seats .Grew up on circus’s as a child unlike 21st century kid’s on smart-phone games with memories of having seen the “Great Royal Circus” in Mombasa an up-teen number of times along with my parents in the mid 1960’s.After migrating to India the Circus craze continued until the total demise of the “Circus Industry” due to the ban on animal performer’s and the invention of the “INTERNET” and “SMARTPHONE” that revolutionized entertainment for kid’s and grown-up’s.The death knell to traditional circuses was the ultimate closure of “RINGLING BROS CIRCUS(Greatest Show on Earth) ” in U.S.A on 21May 2017.Change is permanent and same applies to the Showbiz Industry.Hindi film “Mera Naam Joker” about a Circus joker’s autobiography till date remains one of my favourite films and honestly i was the definition of a “Film Addict” until the “Internet Revolution” diverted my mind from films. .On Thursday(22/11/2018) on a Full Moon twilight drove my “Bajaj Wind-125” to M.M.R.D.A grounds in Bandra and here is my personal opinion and pictorial essay of the “BAZZAR” i witnessed .
Big Top Tent of Cirque Du Soleil at MMRDA grounds in Bandra , which is 62 feet high and 135 feet in diameter with seating capacity for more than 1500 guests.Total white in colour in contrast to the colourful large tents of bygone Circus’s when animals were also part of the performing troupe.No i didn’t see any elephant’s or horses tethered outside a normal circus tent.
Internal view of the “BIG TOP” with the performing stage.A “HOUSE-FULL” circus and a pleasing sight for the performers as well as the coffers .A sight i never saw in any of the normal circus in India although ticket prices could be afforded even by the poor sections of Indian society.Brought back memories of the “Great Royal Circus” in Mombasa of the 1960’s where a advance booking was a formality for entry into a circus and as crowded as “Cirque Du Soliel” was today in 2018. THE CIRCUS AND CLOCK HAD COME A FULL CIRCLE AND THE SHOW BEGAN AT 2000 HRS.
Mind-blowing acts of skill on display.
Throughout the display of skills akin to a live Rock/Pop opera there was a lady musician singing .In this photograph another musician is seeing playing the trumpet while the artists are performing normal circus stunts but at a higher level compared to normal circus’s i have seen in my lifetime.Remember that a few of these circus performing stars are ex Olympic athletes and hence the higher stock value of the performers beside’s the combination of rock/pop live background music.
Your’s truly Seafarer/Blogger/Traveller Rudolph.A.Furtado during the intermission of the Circus acts.Very well organized with clean air conditioned portable toilets although the eatables and liquor prices were beyond the purchasing power of the average middle-class Mumbai circus enthusiast. There are 2 economic Mumbai’s and India’s and “CIRCUS DU SOLIEL” is for the wealthy and high income individuals akin to visiting 5- star hotels .Save your earnings and see what “Circus Du Soliel” is all about if in the lower income bracket. As a “CIRCUS VETERAN” and daredevil adventurer myself guarantee that you wouldn’t feel bored watching a total human circus devoid of animal artists.Good entertainment comes at a premium.
“Citibank” are one of the sponsors and they had a complimentary photo-shoot for the enthusiastic audience .Camera’s and flash photography with smartphones was prohibited. Here i am trying to impersonate one of my ageless rock hero’s. Guess who ? You are as old or as young as you think ? Got a complimentary Rs 200 gift coupon for posing for this photo and the “miser” saved money on the purchase of a ice-cream.Tell me to jump from a plane for “Tandem para-diving” then i would spend in thousands but definitely not for highly inflated eatables.
The “MAESTRO” (Standing Tall on the glass box) is the master of ceremonies humorously guiding and conducting the circus.”BAZZAR” is all about the MAESTRO and his gang of performers. Not a boring moment with the vocal music on par with some of the household names of English pop/rock culture and no abnormal dwarf clown or midget as was in the normal circuses.”MALLAKHAMB” was the Indian flavour to “Bazzar” with a unbelievable amazing display by Indian artist Rajesh.Mudki and his partner also known by the same name Rajesh. A pure display of human endurance, skills and mime comedy defined “Cirque Du Soliel”..
End of the grand “BAZZAR” show and a standing ovation from the house-full audience.Susan Gaudreau is the director and writer of the show and the entire cast and crew consists of 62 people of whom 22 are acrobats.Over a dozen different languages are spoken by the troupe of “Cirque Du Solel” To date “Cirque Du Soliel” has toured 450 cities in 60 Country’s.
It was a long beautiful early morning drive through Slovenian countryside with the final drive being a uphill climb negotiating steep bends on the mountain roads.At 0930 hrs we arrived at Postojnska Jama centre which is the entrance for tourists to the World famous “Postojna Caves” with our public bus being the first arrival of the day with most tourists arriving in private tour buses or cars. Purchased a combination ticket for sightseeing “Postjona Cave and Predjama Castle “costing Euro 38.5 Only.
PHoto :- Start of the 
Above:- A Photo of the pathetic Conditions of benches on the “FIRST FLOOR” of the “First Enclosure Grandstand”.Notice the sparse crowd, definitely the lowest Indian Day Derby turnout since my living memory of attending the “Indian Derby races” in 1979 when “Mohawk” won the “Indian Derby Race”.I had sat on one of these benches and was stung by a bee, the first time in my life this ever happened. Proves the total abandonment of these benches by racegoers in one of the costliest real estate properties in the World let alone India.
The Law Commission of India has invited views of members of the public on the issue of legalizing betting and gambling. See the public appeal reproduced below. I would request maximum racing professionals and race-goers to respond with their views by sending a mail to the Commission.