P. C. Sorcar

Protul Chandra Sorcar
P. C. Sorcar
Born	23 February 1913 Tangail, Bengal, British Raj (Present day Bangladesh)
Died	6 January 1971 (aged 57) Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan
Ethnicity	Bengali
Occupation	Magician
Religion	Hinduism
Spouse(s)	Basanti Devi

P. C. Sorcar (Bengali: পি সি সরকার) (23 February 1913 – 6 January 1971) was the stage name of Protul Chandra Sorcar (Bengali: প্রতুলচন্দ্র সরকার), a famous magician.^[1] 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 at the age of 58 in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan, on January 6, 1971, where he was performing.

Early life

Sorcar was born in a family of magicians of seven generations, Sorcar started off as a stage name for Protul Chandra Sorcar, a name destined to attain ranks of immortals later. He was born on February 23, 1913 in the small town of Tangail in Mymensing which now lies in Bangladesh. His father's name is Bhagawan Chandra Sorcar and mother, Kusum Kamini. He had one sibling, a brother, Atul Chandra, ten years younger than him. Sorcar was a brilliant student at school. He graduated from Tangail Shibnath High School in 1929 with first class. In 1931 he earned his I.A. (Intermediate in Arts) degree from the Karotia College (first class) and then joined Ananda Mohan College for BA (Bachelor of Arts) with honours in mathematics. From the very childhood Sorcar found magic to be the passion of his life, which he took up as a full-time profession after he sat for his BA degree tests in 1933. His singular devotion soon brought its own honest reward. His unique feats of the newly cultivated art had soon won robust acclamation from the press and the public alike. He was hailed as one giving to the art of Indian magic a new cultural background which readily found a strong international appeal.

Professional life

He became famous from the mid-1930s, when he performed shows in Kolkata and also in Japan and several other countries. Among other routines he performed, for example, a Floating Lady routine featuring aerial suspension in 1964.^[2]

Family life

Sorcar was married to the late Basanti Devi (died December 26, 2009, Kolkata). They were the parents of animator, director, and laserist Manick Sorcar and magicians P.C. Sorcar, Jr., 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 (the Lotus), awarded by the President of India on January 26, 1964
• The Sphinx (Oscar of Magic), US, 1946 and 1954
• The Royal Medallion, German Magic Circle

Postage stamp

On 23 February 2010, Indian Post issued a Rs. 5/- stamp to honour him.^[3][4]

See also

• Indian magicians

References

1. Parvez, Md Masud (2012). "Sorcar, PC". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
2. Magic of PC Sorcar Senior
3. "Postage Stamps". India Post.
4. "Postage stamp on P.C. Sorcar issued". The Hindu. 24 February 2010.

External links

• P.C. Sorcar International Library