From Circus to Circuit, a different lane..

(The above copy was published in Indian Express on June 12, 2012)

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that he cannot do without his adrenaline rush. That more than anywhere else, he feels at home within the confines of his speedy four-wheelers. That Ameya Walwalkar’s idea of a routine day out mainly involves him notching up supersonic speeds in his race-cars. Setting breakneck paces and then trying his best to outdo them.

After all very few would have gotten an opportunity to dabble with their wild side—quite literally—like Walwalkar did almost from the time he learned to walk. While his peers spent their youth indulging in the otherwise routine and mundane activities of youth, the 31-year-old Mumbaikar grew up feeding lions, running around with exotic and rare birds and riding atop elephants. All just for kicks.

The Walwalkars, starting with the late Narayan Rao Walwalkar—Ameya’s grandfather—have owned and run The Great Royal Circus (GRC) for close to 50 years now. It’s no ordinary circus either. The GRC holds the record for being the only Indian-owned circus to have presented shows in 24 countries. And the only one to have hosted Presidents, Prime Ministers, Kings and Queens from around the world, including those from France, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia among others.

“You know, my grandfather was a ringmaster in the circus. Those days, no work was considered to be menial. Only after years of being a ringmaster, did he finally acquire the circus,” the junior-most Walwalkar recalls now.

Though the GRC as an entity has existed for around 106 years now, it was only in 1962 that the Walwalkars took over the running of the complete show. Ever since, the circus has only grown from strength to strength. And while Ameya, the six-time JK Tyre national racing champion, has made quite a mark for himself behind the wheel on the race-tracks around India, he wasn’t the first Walwalkar to be forced to choose between taking over the family business and following his innate passion. Unlike him, his immediate predecessor, however, had decided to stick with the circus.

“My father was an architect by profession. He obtained his degree from the J J School of Arts. But he was always fascinated by the animals and wanted to take up the family business,” says Ameya about his late father Pratap.

As a result, Ameya didn’t get to see much of his father while growing up. The GRC continued to operate abroad during the 24-year period between 1960 and 1984.

“It was my father who brought the circus back to Indian shores in 1985. During those days, it was a given that women would generally be the housewives. My mother stayed in Bombay while my father toured with the Circus. While working in a circus, you get a break for only 10 days at the most when the camp is to be dismantled before moving onto another place,” adds Ameya, while throwing a somber glance towards his late father’s picture.

Different ride

These days, the champion speed-racer is on the road for a major part of the year. The circus, which has been run by a director appointed by the family ever since his father’s demise, though still remains very close to Ameya’s heart.

Despite him never having taken an active role in the administration of the GRC, Ameya has some amazing memories of whiling away his time in the circus atmosphere as a child.

“Feeding those lions will always remain etched in my memory. I proudly used to show off my circus to all my friends and catch the shows whenever I could. It was an amazing feeling to watch a circus as opposed to owning it. Then there were elephants picking me up with their trunk and placing me on their backs. We had exotic species of animals as well. We used to run around with a Macaw bird, generally found in South America. They used to talk in their cranky voice, and we would communicate as if we were having a nice long conversation,” he reminisces.

So, if he loved the circus so much, why did he never become a part of it?

“As much as I love the circus, I was always a fan of cars. I used to drive around my house since my school days,” says the former Mithibai graduate. What aided his cause was the lack of pressure from his parents to join the circus business, he insists. And his love for cars and racing was only accentuated as a result of the array of fancy cars in the possession of his family.

“I gave my HSC board exams and soon participated in my maiden JK Tyre racing championship event as a rookie. I was always encouraged by my parents to follow my goals. In fact, even my father used to love cars. They were apprehensive at first but as soon as I won my first championship in my maiden year, none of us ever looked back,” says Walawalkar, who even organises training camps for children during his free time.

The GRC is still a smoothly-run institution and is more often than not on tour—presently featuring in Indore. And though it’s his mother Snehalata who oversees most of the operations of the circus, Ameya still keeps an eye on what he considers the Walwalkar’s heirloom. And he is more than aware of the difficulties faced by the GRC in the present era.

Business not the same

“The circus business is not the same as before. It’s mostly operational in the rural and semi-urban areas. With the animal rights activists constantly at loggerheads with the circus owners, it’s very difficult to keep the show going normally. Our circus has not made a return to Mumbai due to the tribulations involved in getting the required permits. We have already informed the artists and the workers. They know the situation. They already have something to fall on if the circus stops one day,” says Ameya ruefully. And the experienced race-car driver has also decided to expand his horizons and now co-owns a car-performance shop at Prabhadevi.

“To add, children these days hardly want to visit the circus. With the advent of digital and social media, the circus seems like an outdated visual,” he adds.

Having grown up as the only kid in school whose family owned a circus, the junior Walwalkar always enjoyed a special place among his friends. But the life of those working in the circus is anything but a holiday, he insists.

“It’s like being a part of a big family of over 200 people, who you have to stay with for over 60 days—not to forget the animals. The day begins by as early as 6 am when the trainers begin their routine with the animals. One also needs to be careful about the animals. Simple things like feeding the lions regularly and locking the cages need to be closely monitored,” explains Ameya.

The R-Polo Cup is a month away now, and once again Walwalkar will start off as one of the favourites. He’s quite used to being the fancied one now.

He is also equally used to being the relative outsider in the Walwalkar family. He still lauds his own decision to change track, quite literally, and take on a different route altogether.

"I was never a part of the circus's administrative work. I just went there to enjoy with my friends. Besides, I always wished to have my different identity,” he admits.

And you cannot agree more with Ameya when he says, “Today, I can proudly say that my decision to change my track from the circus to racing was the best ever in my life.”