Presenting… Jewel Aich!
Jewel Aich is an accomplished magician, well-known in his home country of Bangladesh as well as in magician circles world-wide. Born in Shomdekathi, a village in Shorupkathi Thana of the Barisal district, Jewel Aich was the fifth of nine children in his family.
By his own admission, Aich was introverted in his early life, partly due to serious head aches which prevented him from playing with his friends. He was fascinated by the art of magic from a young age and his interest was enhanced when a gypsy man performed some magic during a visit to Aich’s family home. Shortly after that, when a circus performed in a nearby village, Aich saw a magician demonstrate a trick where it appeared that he had cut the neck of his assistant. He was so impressed by this trick that he made a special knife which he later demonstrated to his friends by “cutting off” a friend’s leg – and so began Aich’s career as a magician.
His interest grew when he read books by Bonde Ali Miah, a poet, artist and writer of Bangladesh. But upon reading a book by P.C.Sorcar, a famous Indian magician, the idea of becoming a professional magician took root. He concentrated his efforts on expanding his repertoire and perfecting his performance. This effort was richly rewarded as he started making a name for himself as a talented magician. In 1997, a famous TV presenter of that time, Abdullah Abu Sayeed, invited Aich to visit Dhaka and perform magic as part of his show. He agreed and the response from audiences was overwhelming, resulting in Jewel Aich continuing to appear on TV shows. The Society of American Magicians invited Aich to America in 1981 to give a performance in front of thousands of his peers, which he did successfully.
Apart from being an exceptional magician, Jewel Aich is also a talented Bansuri (bamboo flute) player, performing for Bangladesh Betar (a state-owned radio broadcaster), as well as in the Voice of America program.
During his long and illustrious career, Aich has performed all over Bangladesh as well as in the major cities worldwide. Jewel Aich is acknowledged as being one of the most accomplished magicians of recent times.
