her feet firmly planted on the ground . She attributes her successes to the support of her family , her faith , her quest for knowledge and to the power of meditation .

Her first show as Jadugar “ Baby Anchal ” Kumawat was at an annual school gathering on December 23,1997 and it was a huge success . For that first performance Anchal ’ s repertoire consisted of magic her father sold at his shop . She relished the applause and the reactions her magic received . That first performance success prompted her enthusiasm to learn more .

She states , “ the internet was not available at the time . My father would attend magic conventions . He would absorb and learn as much as he could and then return home and teach me new skills and techniques . That ’ s how I developed a small show and began performing professionally at age five .”

As she grew older her magic interest shifted to grand illusion . In January 2001 her budding magic career became a professional , commercial , illusion show . Anchal was eight years old and from that first grand performance she ’ s never looked back . Her childhood and school years consisted of tours , magic performances and “ being on the road .”

In 2004 , Anchal ’ s magic accomplishments were rewarded when she received the most prestigious award for children , “ the National Child Award ” by the Government of India for “ Exceptional Achievements in the Art of Magic .”

In 2006 , the Indian Ministry of Human Resources sent Anchal and her family as cultural ambassadors to represent India and to participate at the “ International Seminar for Extraordinary Children ” organised by the Mongolian Government . The event included different nationalities of talented children prodigies .

Anchal ’ s home state is Rajasthan and from that base she has toured India extensively with performances in West Bengal , Maharashtra , Uttar Pradesh , Madhya Pradesh , Gujarat , Delhi ,

16 JANUARY | 2022