First test tube baby now youngest magician

Mumbai, Sept 3: India's first test tube baby and the youngest magician Kruti Parekh claims magic as her birthright as she is born by the magic of Science.

At 22, she has just bagged an engineering degree in Information Technology with distinction.

Making elephants and a helicopter disappear, cutting off people's heads, recycling paper after swallowing it, to pass and penetrate through Great China Wall, which was witnessed by the Chinese people, are some of the few tricks she performs in her shows.

Speaking to sources she said, ''I was born in 1984. I was inseminated in London by Dr Patrick Steptoe who brought the first test tube baby in the world. I have been born and brought up in Mumbai.'' As a magician, she started at the age of five years. As she puts it,'' Initially I learnt things on my own. But later, my guru was Mr Williams Zambago. Actually my initiation into magic was a trip to Lonavala when I was just five years old. I saw a magician perform on the streets which left me enthralled.'' ''After the show, out of curiosity and amazement, I went up to him and asked him to show me a few tricks which he did and I kept on practicing it till I got perfection. Then when I went to Fantasyland, there again I saw a person performing tricks. After the show, I asked him if I could perform. He agreed and the applause that I got was amazing, much better than what I get even after getting good grades.'' After that there has been no looking back. Kruti has performed in countries across the world including Japan, China, Dubai, UAE, Muscat, Israel, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, just to name a few. In 1995, Kruti also performed at Born Hall Clinic at Cambridge, London, in front of 1,000 test tube babies of the world.

Like a good samaritan, all her earnings from her shows go to Sharda Mandir High School where 1,000 slum children are studying.

''I would like to develop a computerised magic show where the audience would be transferred to locations around the world with me,'' She says, revealing her future plans.

The Queen of Sweden, Silvia has appointed Kruti as the jury member of Children's Nobel Prize, an organisation where kids fight for the rights of children.

She has also met renowned magician P C Sorkar who treats her like his daughter. ''He is of my father's age and he tells me I have a wonderful career ahead and if I need any help, he will be there,'' she adds.

UNI