portrait of an artist

I admit, the photo is over a decade old. I'm a little older, a little greyer around the temples, but my wife tells me that's a good look, especially for an Indian magician. This promo photo was taken in Pune in 2000 back when I first got really serious about working as a professional entertainer. It has been seen in many newspapers and press releases and has represented me well. If you think it's a reference to the great illusionist  M. C. Escher, you're right. Escher made illusions on paper and I make them on stage and in homes. I am neither superstitious, nor triskaidekaphobic, but I choose to believe that my lucky number is 13, the day of my birth (13 days after halloween for anyone who is superstitious or scared of the number 13!). Since this is my 13th blog post and it's being posted on the 13th of April, just 13 days after April Fool's day if that sounds more mysterious, I believe that something good will happen to me today. I woke up with a cold, achy, sore and stiff, and with a bunch of papers to grade by the afternoon, so it hasn't happened yet. You can help make something nice happen to me today by commenting on a blog post so I know that someone is actually reading this. Better yet, tell your friends that they too can read about the creation of an original Indian fusion magic show for the next few weeks. The posts will really start to get interesting once our esteemed (multiple Emmy award winning) director returns from London, where he is currently promoting his excellent book 'Beating a Dead Horse,' which chronicles the life and times of the esteemed late Dean of American magicians Jay Marshall, who is our director's father. Not only am I second generation Indian magician, our director is a second generation magician, who comes from American magic royalty, on both sides of his family. What happens when you mix a second generation Scottish-American magician/director/author, a second generation Indian-American magician/scholar/author, a strong man, an Indian princess and a certified financial analyst together into one show? Keep watching the blog for updates, then come to the Lyric Hall memorial day weekend to see if we all survive!!