Not just their noses, clowns paint Bengaluru red, too

Bengaluru:  Seven-year-old Leyla wasn’t the only one in stitches at the clowns’ antics. Her initially reluctant parents—a techie couple from Bengaluru—soon found themselves laughing uncontrollably as the performers mocked each other with exaggerated physical comedy that rendered dialogue unnecessary.

For nearly two hours, 25 clowns from as far away as Belgium and Mexico juggled, unicycled, mimed, and backslapped through skits. With their signature red noses firmly in place, they sniffled, giggled, and entertained the crowd with carefully crafted acts that often ended with a playful “moral of the story” aimed at the children.

This spectacle unfolded as part of the 10th edition of the International Clown Festival, now lighting up Bengaluru.

For 55-year-old Martin D’Souza, the mastermind behind the clown festival that has been reshaping perceptions of clowns for the past decade, the true reward lies in the “aha” moment when people realise clowning is far more than just telling silly jokes.

This realisation, D’Souza says, kept him motivated through the early challenges of organising such a unique event.

“I thought clowns were just people in jumpsuits with painted faces, cracking silly jokes. That perception shifted entirely when I attended ‘clown school’,” D’Souza told PTI.

He attended a one-week camp at the University of Wisconsin in the United States.

“The clowns there were incredible, with elaborate costumes, oversized shoes, vibrant wigs, and flawless makeup. They even taught us professional makeup techniques. That’s when I decided—I had to bring clowns like these to India someday,” D’Souza added.

D’Souza described himself as an extrovert with a natural love for the stage. “Being on stage naturally led me to anchoring shows,” he said.

During these gigs, he discovered clowning, drawn initially by the extra pay D’Souza earned for donning a clown costume and cracking jokes.

“I worked part-time with party planners, hosting games at birthday parties,” D’Souza recalled.

“One day, a planner asked if I’d try clowning since no one else wanted to do it—it was seen as beneath them. I thought, why not? I enjoyed the experience, earned a bit more, and soon realised performing as a clown brought me immense excitement and energy.” That’s how D’Souza started clowning at birthday parties and events. Nevertheless, the real excitement began when he delved deeper into the art of clowning.

He realised that with improved technique, even simple jokes—like calling a chicken’s mother “chicken keema” or its father “chicken kebab”—could leave the audience in stitches. This motivated D’Souza to refine his skills further.

“That’s when I discovered that people take classes to learn clowning,” said D’Souza, known as Flubber in the clowning world. “You can develop a unique clown character and then layer it with skills like juggling, magic, miming, unicycling, and stilt walking.” In 2004, D’Souza took the plunge and enrolled in a clowning class. However, he noted that the idea of hosting a clowning festival in India was still a distant dream.

“I began attending clown conventions around the world,” he said. “At one such event in 2010, where over 100 clowns had gathered, we discussed the possibility of bringing their performances to India. That’s when the idea took shape.” After returning to India, D’Souza set things in motion, but it took another four years to turn the vision into reality.

“In 2014, I managed to assemble a team of 12 clowns, and we performed a seven-day theatre show in one city,” D’Souza said. “At first, the turnout was low because people were unsure about what a clown show entailed. There had been circuses, but never a show dedicated solely to clowns.” However, as the tour progressed, word-of-mouth led to sold-out performances, reinforcing his belief that entertainment has no cultural boundaries—it just needs a well-crafted show.

“The clown festival gained momentum as we improved our theatre shows, raised production values, brought in more skilled clowns, and added a wider variety of acts,” D’Souza said.

“We then toured for 45 days across five cities, performing in malls, before combining mall events with theatre shows. Eventually, we expanded to schools and even made hospital visits,” he added.

Bengaluru marks the final stop of the 10th edition of the 10-city clown festival. This year, the clowns also performed in smaller cities like Puducherry, Mangaluru, and Goa, D’Souza said.

In Bengaluru, the shows are being held at Ambedkar Bhavan in Vasanth Nagar, with three performances daily—at 11 am, 3 pm, and 7 pm—until December 1.

D’Souza noted that the 10th edition has been larger and more impactful, featuring workshops on clowning and juggling. “We’ve been on the road for almost 100 days, performing over 100 shows,” he said.

Regardless of where they performed, D’Souza said it was always rewarding to see audiences “move beyond the stereotypes.” “I understand why people might assume clowns are just for kids, but this festival isn’t just for children. The most exciting part of the show is seeing children watch their parents and grandparents laugh. It changes their perspective because they rarely witness adults enjoying themselves like that,” he added.