We applaud: The magic of a dream coming true

What is an ex-Indian Navy aeronautical engineer doing in a magician's costume? If you were to pose the question to him, Praveen Arumughan would tell you, "I am realising my dream. I was passionate about magic even as a child, not just watching magic shows but wanting to perform on stage,'' says Arumughan, who hails from Kerala, India.

To this end, he read as much as he could about the topic and never missed a single magic show in his town. Pretty soon he was doing small shows for the neighbourhood.

But it was during his training at the Naval Academy that he did his first major magic show. "We were divided into groups and were asked to display any talent we possessed. I decided to show off my skill in magic. Imagine our joy when my show turned out to be the best and our group took the honours that day,'' he recalls. The accolades spurred him on to spend more time and effort honing his skills.

Arumughan was part of the UN Peacekeeping Mission to Somalia in the early 1990s. "I had also travelled as part of the goodwill crew to Seychelles and Mauritius and so on. We were given a warm welcome wherever we went and because I had become quite popular as a magician I was invited to perform at these receptions. This forced me to learn new tricks.''

So which would he rate as his best trick? "Predicting the headlines of three leading newspapers in Cochin,'' he says. The trick involved writing the main headlines of three newspapers on a piece of paper three days in advance, sealing it in the presence of the town mayor and numerous dignitaries in Cochin. The next day when the envelope was opened, the dignitaries and those assembled could not believe their eyes: the lines Arumughan had written and sealed in the envelope matched the headlines!

Arumughan quit the navy in 2000 and "devoted myself to magic. I also formed a magic troupe called ‘Amazing Cousins' with my magician friend, Shibu.''

Along the way, he also honed his skills in mind-reading. "I later moved to the UK where I did several magic shows. I started helping organisations raise funds for charity in association with the health sector.''

He moved into Dubai in 2000 to set up a business venture and also to explore the possibility of setting up an entertainment firm.

Praveen hosts free shows for the less privileged and handicapped children. "I find happiness seeing the smiles on the face of special-needs kids. For me, every success makes me look forward to the next challenge," says Arumughan.

If you would like to find out more you can visit www.praveenmentalist.com.

Sami Said Ali is a Sharjah-based freelancer