Magic is a medium in which the audience is mesmerised by the appearance of seemingly impossible feats accomplished by using natural techniques. A genuine artist is capable of transporting his audience to a transcendental level. He can easily read the mind of his audience. Mutukad, the magician who made us think a lot through his performances and imparted many values, felt his audience’s pain and became a pillar of support to many children and their parents struggling in the world of limitations.
Gopinath Muthukad is an accomplished magician, mentor, escape artist, stunt performer,and motivational speaker. ‘Magic with a Mission’ is the distinctive motto of Muthukad.
Magic, his Passion
Muthukad was a native of the tiny village of Kavalamukkatta, which is close to Nilambur, Malappuram district of Kerala. His parents were Devaki Amma and Kunhunni Nair . Mutukad is married to Kavitha and the couple has a son, Vismay Mutukad. He resides in Thiruvananthapuram with his family. Around the age of seven, he developed an interest in magic,and by the time he was ten, he started performing it.
Inspiration In Magic
He was fascinated by magic from a young age after hearing tales about Vazhakkunnam, one of Kerala’s greatest magicians. Despite severe opposition, he determined to follow Magic as a career.
Gaining Attention As A Magician
After earning a degree in mathematics from NSS College Mancheri, he enrolled in a law college in Bangalore but left because of his love of magic. Although his first few years as a magician were challenging, he soon gained attention for his unique presentation techniques.
Voyages For Creating Awareness
Gopinath Mutukadin (2010) has led four national journeys and several state-level journeys including Vismay Bharat Yatra (2002), Gandhi Mantram (2005), Vismay Swaraj Yatra (2007) and Mission India. All of these events have been organised to foster harmony, spread Mahatma Gandhi’s core teachings, encourage inter-communal peace, prevent violence and terrorism in our nation, increasing public awareness of drug and alcohol abuse, respectively.
As An Author
The writing of Muthukad evokes awe and inspiration. He is the author of many books, including Magic: History Basics, Vazhakunnam Stories, Math-Magic, Easy-to-do magic tricks, Ee kadhayilumundoru Magic, Magic Lamp, India- My spellbound love etc. Ormakalude Manthrika Sparsham, his autobiography, was the most popular book at that time.
Motivational Speaker
He employed magic to communicate with his audience and disseminate awareness and beneficial concepts. He also inspires everyone with his entertaining and informative talks.
Magic Planet
Muthukad founded Magic Planet on October 31, 2014, at the KINFRA Film and Video Park in Kazhakkoottam, Thiruvananthapuram, to provide a permanent rehabilitation centre for street magicians who were on the verge of extinction from society’s mainstream due to a lack of venues to showcase their unique abilities. Also, it was intended to educate a larger audience, including locals and foreign tourists, about marvels and the unrealised potential of magical art.
Devoting Life To Differently-abled Kids
Muthukad gave up his 45-year professional career to focus solely on helping differently-abled children. For him, living for differently-abled children is more meaningful than doing professional magic shows.
The Decision That Changed His Life
In 2016, he attended an event for differently-abled kids in Kozhikode. He met the mothers of those children there and learning about their situation made him unhappy and thoughtful. He believed that by imparting magic skills to these children, he could also bring joy to their parents. Thus Muthukad approached the concerned authorities, and as a result, 23 children were handed over to him by the Kerala Social Security Mission. He brought those children to the Magic Planet and started teaching them magic. Afterwards, Mutukad devoted all his attention to those students, which led to the end of his fascinating career.
Mpower
A total of, 23 children who had received magic training made up the magic team “MPower”. Magic Academy decided to open the Mpower centre with the assistance of UNICEF and Kerala Social Security Mission after being inspired by the children’s wildly successful performance. They receive training and development in their gifts, receiving life skills to help them become more self-aware and self-confident. The opening of a permanent magical performance centre for talents with special needs is unprecedented. Specially gifted children are trained at the centre today to support their families as wage earners. Due to their exceptional performance, the Mpower team has entered the INDIA BOOK OF RECORDS.
Different Art Centre
Mpower’s success paved the way for establishing a Comprehensive Art Centre in Kazhakkuttom, Thiruvananthapuram, in 2019 for kids with disabilities to explore their artistic talents and promote the community’s general development. The centre works to empower these kids by identifying and developing their underdeveloped skills through the application of special and powerful strategies. As the audience’s approval reached the centre, everyone engaged felt more assured and self-aware. The Diverse Art Centre provides a platform for identifying, nurturing, and enhancing the foundational artistic skills of young people with disabilities.
Difference Art Center under Magic Academy organised the first All India Art Festival ‘Sammohan’ on the 25th and 26th of February, in Thiruvananthapuram for differently abled children. The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the State Department of Social Justice supported the two-day program for the empowerment of children with disabilities across the country. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated this art fair where more than 1500 children from 12 states showcased their talents.
Recognitions
Gopinath Muthukad has been given the title of “Celebrity UNICEF Supporter” to assist the UN organisation in his contributions to enhance the situation and standing of children in the state. He is the first Keralite and magician to receive the honour.
The Election Commission of India titled him ‘“State Icon for Kerala” in recognition of his efforts to raise voter participation awareness and inspire the populace to vote. He created awareness about the value of democracy and the necessity of voting through his magic performances.
He received honours such as the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award in 1995, the Prathibha Pranamam Honour by the Kerala state government in 2000, the Merlin Award from the International Magician’s Society in 2011, the Celebrity Advocate title from UNICEF for promoting child rights in 2016, Kerala Icon by Election Commission of India in 2016, Rashtriya Aavishkar Abhiyan Ambassador in 2016, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy Fellowship in 2018, Leader of the 21st Century finalist by San Francisco University 2019, Brand Ambassador for Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights in 2020, Kerala Sree instituted by Government of Kerala, 2022 and more.
Gopinath Mutukad used magic as a medium to convey his messages to the masses. He has performed on more than 8,000 stages all over the world, giving magic new direction and purpose. He changed his path after seeing the difficulties faced by parents of children with disabilities. He observed the systems when he visited facilities for differently abled children abroad. After training these kids with magic and being delighted with the outcome, Mutukad was keen to continue the project.
Recent studies by the Child Development Centre (CDC) and the Center for Communicative and Cognitive Neuro Sciences (ICCONS) found that people with disabilities have made significant progress. The evaluations revealed that all of the participants had made very excellent progress and had significantly improved in their capacity for daily functioning. Muthukad left his passion and profession to erase the tears of others and thereby give a new life to differently-abled children. For him, the pain of giving up his career to date is nothing before the progress of these kids. Their Magic Uncle is happy with each step of their progress. He is always thinking of new plans while spending time with them. Hats off to their Magic Uncle, who encourages them and brings joy to their parents by starting new ventures.