Gemini Shankaran, founder of famous Gemini Circus passes away at 99

Kannur: The pioneer of the Indian circus, Gemini Shankaran alias MV Shankaran, passed away on Sunday at his residence in Kannur. He was 99. 
Gemini Shankaran, referred to as the "Patriarch of Indian Circus," was the owner of five circuses, including Gemini, Jumbo, and Great Royal Circus. He was one of the well-known figures who popularised the Indian circus globally. He was born in June 1924.

The funeral will be held on Tuesday at Payyambalam, Kannur. 

In 1951, Gemini Shankaran started the Gemini Circus at Bilimora near Surat. Shankaran also served as the president of the India Circus Federation. The world leaders Martin Luther King Jr., Mountbatten, Kenneth Kaunda, and astronaut Valentina Tereshkova are among those with whom he has maintained cordial ties, as well as Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai, and Rajiv Gandhi.

In his early years, Shankaran studied Kalari in Thalassery under martial arts instructor Keeleri Kunhikannan. After serving in the Army for four and a half years, he eventually retired. He began performing with Kolkata's renowned Boss Lion Circus in 1946.

He soon joined the then-popular Great Bombay Circus and National Circus. Along with a buddy, Shankaran acquired the Vijaya Circus, which had been experiencing financial difficulties. He then established the Gemini Circus.

Shankaran acquired control of Jumbo Circus in 1977. He also took part in the China-based International Circus Festival. He has received numerous accolades, such as lifetime achievement awards.

He is survived by his wife Sobhana and children Ajay Shankar, Ashok Shankar, and Renu Shankar.