In the international community of magicians, the much-coveted Merlin Award can be compared to the Oscars, or the Grammys.
It's a matter of pride that Bangladeshi magician Ali Raj has received the 2010 Merlin Award. Raj received an invitation to join the award giving ceremony, to be held at Las Vegas (in the US) in March, this year. But he had to decline as he is scheduled to perform around that time. So, the International Magicians' Society (IMS) conferred the award on Raj on January 4, 2011 at Hotel Sonargaon in Dhaka.
International Magicians' Society (IMS) was founded in 1968. The organisation gives the award, once every three years, to magicians who have achieved the highest level of excellence both at national and international levels. The President of IMS, Tony Hassini (a New York based magician) gave away the award to Raj in Dhaka. The awardee was selected based on showmanship, originality, and above all the ability to entertain under any condition.
Former Merlin Award winners include Harry Blackstone, David Copperfield and Criss Angel.
“No one knows more than your peers the hard work and dedication that you have invested in your acts. To be honoured by your peers is the greatest compliment you can receive,” said Hassini to Raj at the award giving programme.
Raj said, "When I regretfully notified them (IMS) that I can't attend the award ceremony, to my surprise, they expressed their willingness to come to Bangladesh and asked for a convenient time to organise the event. And it wasn't until much later that I learned that I was the one to receive the award.”
Raj received the award for Best Family Magic Show. “There are several types of magic -- namely, close up, illusion, conjuring, and sleight of hands,” said Raj, adding, “In the west, the magicians who are famous for one type of magic would rarely try other type of acts. But in our country, for some practical reasons, we do all types of acts. First of all, the arrangements required for a large-scale illusion often exceeds the capabilities of local organisers. Then, unlike the west, we do not have auditoriums and venues designed particularly for magic shows. As a consequence, in our country we just try to entertain the audience, regardless of the size of crowd, and the conditions under which we perform.”
Raj looks forward to entertain the Bangladeshi audience more often and fetch more glory for the nation in future.