Suma Rajkumar and her doll Ricky
A marvellous relationship between Suma Rajkumar and her doll Ricky started around five years ago when Suma had decided to learn something unique and achieve in life. She knew life very much as a homemaker and a mother of two but the potion of success she had never tasted! Like they say, “there is always a time for everything in life,” Suma was being known to people as a ventriloquist when Ricky came into her life!
by Phalgunn Maharishi
Suma who hailed from an orthodox family in Bangalore dreamed of achieving a lot since her childhood. She had her hands laid on the then popular course of Printing and Technology in Mysore University and also had procured flying colours in her Kannada and English Typing Senior Grade courses. While recalling her life as a young girl, Suma said, “My father had a printing press at home and may be that’s the reason why he made me learn Printing and Technology.” She further added, “My friends and relatives know me for how much I talk! The chatterbox inside me pushed me into anchoring events and also into a local TV channel as a host.”
Suma takes pride of being the first female ventriloquist and magician of the city after she learnt the art of talking dolls and illusion from her master Jadugar Guruswamy six years ago. Before that, she knew nothing about the art. But her dedication, willingness, participation and involvement in learning has made her a maestro. While speaking about how she came into contact with her master, Suma said, “I used to take my children to Subrahmanya for their drawing classes and that is where I came to know about Jadugar Guruswamy whom I later bombarded with requests to teach me the art,” with a big smile. She also added, “He was really kind enough to accept my request and bring out the ventriloquist in me.”
With the urge of wanting to leave a footprint in this journey called life, Suma soon started performing the art of ventriloquism on small stages here and there. She has so far performed 450+ number of shows throughout the State. Some of her most successful shows have been performed at Dharmasthala Laksha Deepothsava, Mysore Dasara Exhibition, Central Jail, GRS, Suttur Jathra and also corporate get-togethers at companies like Nestle, BOC India Ltd, BEML, KMF, KPTCL, Rangsons and WEP Peripherals to name a few. She has also been in the focal point during the TV show ‘Kamanabillu’ aired in Kasturi TV when her talking doll Ricky gave it a tremendous opening.
While speaking about her first presentation, Suma said, “Five years ago, I had taken my children to a cultural event organised by Inner Wheel – Rotary Club. There I met the then President of the Club Rachana and requested her to provide me an opportunity to showcase my talent at the valedictory function. Never before had I presented a ventriloquism show but the President was kind enough and agreed immediately.” She later added with a proud smile of achievement, “The show was a success and thereafter I have never looked back in my life.”
Suma presented her ventriloquism show for twenty minutes in the beginning and most of her shows were adjoined or collaborated with other artistes. Later, the demand for her talent and the constant requests of people to see her shows for longer duration led Suma to learn the art of illusion under her master Jadugar Guruswamy. By then she was totally ready to give an independent two hour show and entertain the audience. She dedicated her first show with both ventriloquism and illusion to ‘Balakiyara Bala Mandira’, a government undertaken orphanage near Race Course in city. “The pleasure in performing a full length show in front of the orphan girls was surely an unforgettable experience,” commented Suma while remembering those days.
The shows presented by Suma are usually fun-filled with jokes being cracked every now and then. She usually takes the role of a mother and Ricky the doll as her child and deliver every possible notorious and mischievous dialogues tackling the present social situations. While speaking about the format and presentation of her shows, Suma said, “My shows are usually built up constantly. No story line and no dedicated themes can be found. But I develop the script and sequence everything according to my audience and the society.” She also added, “My master has taught me everything and imbibed his knowledge into me. Apart from that, I have implemented my own style of presentation to avoid the imitations of my master.”
Suma is lucky enough to have a husband and children who support her a lot in fulfilling her dreams. Her husband who is a businessman has been assisting Suma everywhere and in every show to make it a success. “He is the one who assists me back stage,” said Suma with happiness loaded in her words.
Suma Rajkumar, a unique talent in a very unique field, is really an appreciable woman who has proved once again that women are no lesser than men. She is also a trained yoga practitioner and is currently teaching her students daily for two hours along side her busy schedule. Suma has also been a proud recipient of the prestigious “Kittur Rani Chenamma Prashasthi” for her tremendous achievement in ventriloquism and illusion along with other numerous awards like “Kadamba Seva Ratna,” “Mysore Nakshatra,” “Kayaka Ratna” and many more. She truly is an inspiration for all the mothers and homemakers to keep their right step ahead to live a life they deserve!
[Suma Rajkumar can be contacted on Mob: 94806-39568]
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / August 31st, 2014