Kannur: Gemini Sankaran, patriarch of the Indian circus, passed away on Sunday at his residence in Kannur. He was aged 99. Moorkoth Vengakandi Sankaran who came to be known popularly as Gemini Sankaran was the oldest circus artist in India. He was the founder of Gemini Circus and Jumbo Circus companies.
Gemini Sankaran started performing at an early age. He started his career as a circus artist and performed at various places in the country and abroad. He cherished friendships with Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai, Rajiv Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mountbatten, and astronaut Valentina Tereshkova. Gemini Sankaran also served as the president of the Indian Circus Federation.
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Born on June 13, 1924, in Kolassery, Gemini was the fifth child of his parents, Raman and Kalyani. He learnt Kalari from martial arts trainer Keeleri Kunhikannan in 1938 driven by his passion for circus art. Gemini also joined the army and quit the service after four and a half years of service.
In 1946, he joined the famous Boselian Circus in Kolkata. Later, he worked with the famous National Circus and Great Bombay Circus in India. He also participated in the International Circus Festival in China. Gemini was awarded the Kuwait Golden Folk Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from TKM Trust for his service in the circus field.
Gemini is survived by his wife Sobhana and children Ajay Shankar, Ashok Shankar and Renu Shankar. His funeral will be held at Payyambalam, Kannur on Tuesday.
