'Magic Planet' to open in Thiruvanathapuram Friday

Magic Planet, the world's first magic-themed edutainment complex, is all set to open Friday here.

Built at a cost of Rs.15 crore, the complex is fruition of the decade-old dream of popular magician Gopinath Muthukad.

"It's definitely a dream come true for me as for the past one decade this was within me and, after three years of real hard work, it is now ready to be opened for the public," Muthukad told reporters here, Tuesday.

Built on one-acre of land in the Kinfra Film and Video Park near the Technopark IT campus, Magic Planet is going to be an experience not only for those who come to spend the day here but also to the numerous street magicians who can perform here and earn a living.

"The entire proceeds from these events, after meeting the expenses, will go towards rehabilitation of street magicians and the educational needs of their children. I want the art of magic to go on forever and the only way for it to keep it going is supporting the street magicians," said Muthukad.

At Magic Planet, children and elders not only can see and experience magic but also learn maths and even literature.

"There is a section called 'mathemagic' (where students can learn maths) and also a 'Shakespearian Theatre' where through magic, information is provided. There will be 25 professional magicians who will perform for the visitors, besides street magicians," added Muthukad.

The entry fee is Rs.200 for children and students and Rs.250 for others and at a time 600 visitors can spend time at the Magic Planet that would be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

State Tourism Minister A.P. Anil Kumar said that all efforts would be made by his department for promotion of this unique 'tourism product'.

"This is a stand-alone product and... is now going to be promoted by the tourism department," said Kumar.

Hundreds of rare vintage posters, photographs and engravings at the state-of-the-art History of Mystery museum will tell the visitors the story of the evolution of magic and its greatest practitioners from the Middle Ages to the 1950s.

The exhibits are complemented by graphics, micro-essays and historical notes. There are voice-overs telling interesting tales and anecdotes.

Among the other must-see attractions are an underground tunnel, a mirror maze, shadow plays, psycho magic, a virtual supermarket to build mathematical skills, theatres for live performances and an R&D centre for conducting scientific research into magic.

Muthukad has invited a few leading world renowned magicians like Juliana Chen (US), Topas (Germany), Norbert Ferre (France) for the opening.

He has planned an international competition for these visiting magicians to be held here on Nov 1-2.