\n<\/p>\n
For many artists, Covid made a bad situation worse.<\/p>\n
When India imposed its 2020 lockdown, public performances stopped. Many magicians returned to their villages; some never came back.<\/p>\n
“We saw a decline in public performances after this period,” Dhanda says. “The brunt was especially harsh for street magicians and performers, many of whom did not return to cities.”<\/p>\n
For the artists who did return and continue the trade, the challenges only increased.<\/p>\n
Shahim Khan, 42, still performs magic on Delhi’s streets, sometimes with his 12-year-old daughter, Alia.<\/p>\n
Much of his work is now confined to industrial areas, far from the busy public spaces where he once performed, hitting his earnings hard.<\/p>\n
Before the pandemic, he could stage four or five shows a day, earning 1,000-1,200 rupees.<\/p>\n
“Now I barely manage two shows and earn 200-400 rupees,” he says.<\/p>\n
The rise of short-form digital entertainment has added to the pressures on traditional performers, experts say. So have changing attitudes towards street arts.<\/p>\n
“There was a lot of Western interest in things like the rope trick decades ago. But forms and tastes have changed, and so has what India chooses to showcase,” Dhanda says.<\/p>\n
For Khan, the loss is about more than money. He fears an art passed down generations could disappear if no-one learns it.<\/p>\n
“A trick can survive only if someone learns it,” he says.<\/p>\n
His son, Altamash, began performing with him as a teenager but now works decorating parties with balloons. In his 30s, he has largely left performing behind.<\/p>\n
Years without regular practice have dulled his skills. When he demonstrated his juggling for the BBC, he struggled to find the rhythm.<\/p>\n
“I am slowly forgetting all the tricks,” he said.<\/p>\n
Khan had hoped his son would carry on the family tradition. Altamash had hoped to make a name for himself too, but it did not work out.<\/p>\n
“I knew I may not achieve the fame my father has, but I did not think there would come a time when performing would not remain an option,” he says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n