We don’t dress up and pretend to be clowns ; we are clowns. For us, playing with unicycles or juggling isn’t work; it’s fun! Hard work? That’s the technical stuff, not clowning ,” says Martin D’Souza , aka Flubber – the man behind India’s International Clown Festival and a former vice-president of the World Clown Association . Martin, who was in town for the two-hour show that left the crowd in splits, spoke to us about clowning, life and more.



‘Clowning isn’t a dying art form’
According to Martin, live entertainment , especially clowning, isn’t going anywhere. “People think clowning is a dying art form, but trust me, there’s no substitute for this two-way interaction. As long as people crave live entertainment, clowning will stay relevant.”



"In India, people don’t take enough time to laugh, so we perform for the whole family, not just kids. I’ve noticed a change in people’s demeanour after a show. They go home happier"- Martin D’Souza, aka Flubber



'We help people heal’
“Clowning isn’t just about making people laugh; it helps them heal,” says Martin, while recalling an incident with a 10-year-old girl, who hadn’t spoken for two-three years. “When she saw us, her eyes lit up. At our next show, she came up on stage, smiling. Her doctor later said her recovery sped up after meeting us.”



A show for all ages
The festival, which completed 10 years in 2024, is not just for the kids; even the grown-ups in the audience loved it. “I had brought my five-year-old here, but I think I ended up enjoying it just as much as he did,” says Susmita Gupta, one of the attendees. Alpana Roy, 60, adds, “I felt like a child along with my grandchild, who’s a huge fan of clowns.”


Better clowns?
Martin’s troupe includes eight women and five men, and he points out that the women are as skilled, if not more. “The girls are incredibly quick learners and great at emoting. They often spend more time perfecting their craft than the guys do,” he says with a laugh.



An attempt to de-stress Kolkata
Martin says that he brought the festival to Kolkata to offer the city some much-needed laughter . “Kolkata has been going through a lot of stress lately, and so, I felt the need to bring the festival here. It’s been incredible to see not just the kids, but even adults letting go of their pent-up emotions,” he adds.