Kolkata: Inside a small room near the famous Kalighat Kali Temple in Kolkata, Sonia Thappa from Assam adorning the bride’s attire was asked by the priest, What’s your father’s name? Gopinath Muthukad, she replied. Mother’s name? Kavita, she said.

Amid chants of prayers and hymns, Sumith Rai tied a tali (mangalsutra) around Sonia’s neck. There were hardly 15 persons to witness the wedding, including Kerala’s own magician.

Gopinath Muthukad, who has mesmerised people with his magic on thousands of stages stood still when life presented a magic trick in front of his own eyes. He realised that there was nothing more magical than being to support an orphan.

Sonia reached Thiruvananthapuram four years ago during her journey from one circus ring to another. Sonia had been a circus performer since she was seven-years-old. She risked her life performing stunts to eke out a living and led an orphan’s life in many states.

When Muthukad started ‘Magic Castle’ at Magic Planet in Thiruvananthapuram, he also included Sonia. He built a house for her at the artist village there. Sonia started calling Muthukad and his wife Kavitha ‘papa and mummy’.

Incidentally, it was from the circus ring that Sonia found Sumit, who is from Kolkata. Sumit’s relatives were in Kolkata but Sonia had none. Hence, the wedding was planned in accordance with Muthukad’s Kolkata Kairali Samajam visit.  

Kairali Samajam members T. K. Gopalan, P. Venugopalan and Ajayan attended the wedding besides Sumit’s relative’s. But from Sonia’s side there was only her ‘papa’ Gopinath Muthukad.

Speaking about the wedding before leaving Kolkata, Muthukad said, “I have a son. Not even in my dream had I thought that I would stand next to a girl as her father on her wedding day. In this historic city, I have come to realise that life is the greatest magician.”