Protul Chandra Sorcar (23 February 19136 January 1971) was an Indian magician. He was an internationally active magician throughout the 1950s and 1960s, performing his ''Indrajal'' show before live audiences and on television. Sorcar died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

at the age of 57 in

Asahikawa is a city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital of the subprefecture, and the second-largest city in Hokkaido, after Sapporo. It has been a core city since April 1, 2000. The city is currently well known for the Asahiy ...

Hokkaidō is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

, on 6 January 1971, where he was performing.

Career

Sorcar became famous in the mid-1930s, when he performed shows in

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

and also in

and several other countries. Among other routines, he performed a Floating Lady routine featuring

aerial suspension The aerial suspension, ethereal suspension or broomstick illusion is an illusion in which the performer appears to be suspended in mid-air for some minutes, with either inadequate support or no apparent support of his or her weight. This trick wa ...

in 1964. Ganapati Chakraborty was his mentor. His self-appointed title was 'TW'sGM' - The World's Greatest Magician.

Personal life

Sorcar was married to Basanti Devi. They were the parents of the

animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games ...

, director and laserist

Manick Sorcar Manick Sorcar (formal name Prafulla Chandra "P.C." Sorcar) is an Indian American artist, animator, engineer, and laserist. Sorcar is an artist

and magicians

P. C. Sorcar Jr. P. C. Sorcar Jr. (formal name Prodip Chandra Sorcar; born 31 July 1946) is an Indian magician based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the second son of Indian magician P. C. Sorcar. He is also the recipient of Merlin Award in Magic. He hold ...

and P. C. Sorcar, Young.

Awards

* ''Jadusamrat P.C. Sorcar Sarani'' The Government of India has named a major street in Calcutta after him *

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

(the Lotus), awarded by the President of India on 26 January 1964 * ''The Sphinx'' (Oscar of Magic), US, 1946 and 1954 * ''The Royal Medallion'', German Magic Circle

Postage stamp

Stamp of India - 2010 - Colnect 259552 - P C Sorcar

On 23 February 2010,

India Post India Post is a government-operated postal system in India, part of the Department of Post under the Ministry of Communications. Generally known as the Post Office, it is the most widely distributed postal system in the world. Warren Hastings ...

issued a commemorative stamp to honour him.

Publications

*''Magic for You'' (1966) *''More Magic for You'' (1965) *''History of Magic'' (1970) *''Indian Magic'' (1983)

References

External links

P.C. Sorcar International Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorcar, P.C. 1913 births 1971 deaths Historians of magic Indian magicians Artists from Kolkata Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts People from Tangail District P.C. Ananda Mohan College alumni