Syed Dastageer, a 73-year-old resident of Mysuru, Karnataka, is popularly known among locals as ‘Magic Babu.’

For more than 50 years, he has been performing magic tricks and playing music on a handmade violin on the streets of Mysuru to entertain tourists.



“My father —Syed Hussain — was also a street performer in Mysuru, and passed on his skills to me. I have been learning magic tricks from him since the day I was born, and when I was 12, he taught me how to make a violin, and eventually, I learnt how to play songs too. Though I cannot read or write, I can play various songs in Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, and Hindi,” says Syed.

Syed regularly performs outside the Lalitha Mahal Palace Hotel, and his magic tricks range from simple card tricks to complicated ones which involve him consuming fire.



Magic Tricks and Music

Syed, who got married when he was 22, has 8 children — 5 girls, and 3 boys. While 7 of them are married and living in different places across Karnataka, the youngest daughter resides with him and his wife, in a house which was allocated to him by the government

He is the sole breadwinner of his family, and apart from entertaining people with his magic and music skills, he also makes and sells violins.

“They are made using coconut shells, wood, and violin strings that I source locally. I can make 3 violins within 5 hours, and I sell each for a price ranging from Rs 500 to Rs.600. I have sold the violins to many people around the world who visit Mysuru,” he says.

Struggles during the lockdown

When the COVID-19 lockdown was announced, Syed’s only source of income was cut-off. Initially, he could not go outside the house to perform, but when he could go, there were no tourists to watch his performance...