Kolkata’s children had a gala time at the Science City auditorium between October 18 and 20, as 25 clowns from 10 countries entertained them with a series of delightful acts at the Kolkata International Clown Festival. Organised by E-365, the event was curated and scripted by Martin D’Souza (stage name Flubber), an internationally acclaimed clown and former vice president of the World Clown Association
Photos: Amit Datta
Performances were scheduled three times a day throughout the festival — 11am, 3pm and 7pm. With a series of tricks that dexterously combined skill with humour, the clowns brought down the house, evoking uproarious laughter among the kids as well as their parents in the audience. Juggling, balancing, dancing and other slapstick acts lived up to the billing, A bunch of balloons wafted into the gallery at one point, drawing loud shouts of approval from the children
While there was no full-fledged trapeze art on display, the festival hosted several high-octane displays, including marvellous juggling atop tall motorcycles, foot-tapping dance numbers and clownish boxing matches that left everyone in splits. Embracing the occasion, some of the parents put on red noses in the crowd, much to the glee of their little ones
The international contingent of clowns included 10 females, with artistes drawn from different corners of the world — US, Canada, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Italy, France, Germany, Russia and Spain. Their brightly coloured attires were loudly embellished along with the trademark bold whiteface paint that is found in the Commedia dell’arte, circuses, and Mariachi clown traditions. A lot like the friendly Ronald McDonald, or even the far more sinister Pennywise from Stephen King’s ‘It’
Having started clowning in 1990, D’Souza studied the art at the University of Wisconsin. The heartbeat of the Kolkata International Clown Festival, which has been going on for a decade, D’Souza is optimistic about greater international participation in the coming years, since “clowns from all over the world feel increasingly enthusiastic to perform in India”
