Can you believe it? It only takes a small open space, a slender flute, and someone can summon the rope in the bamboo basket, and when it rises to a certain height, it can also be climbed up like a ladder.
This is the magical Indian rope, one of the oldest and most iconic magic tricks in the country. For thousands of years, the sky rope has been given a mysterious color, especially when you see it with your own eyes, you will be even more shocked by this scene.
However, today, with the improvement of the scientific literacy of the whole people, people have slowly learned and understood the secrets behind many things. The same is true of the Indian tongtian rope, which is formed enough to surprise people.
Magical country with magical magic
In everyone's eyes, India is not like an ancient civilization like our country, but more like a mysterious country full of legends and stories. In fact, India, although it does have a historical span of thousands of years, has no historical record of its own, and due to the invasion of the capitalist powers in the nineteenth century, they have long ceased to be an independent country.
There is a very apt comment: India has no history books, only legends. For example, the famous series of movies "Baahubali King", many people think that it is telling the life of a former emperor in India, but in fact, he is only from a mythological adaptation.
In other words, it is also possible that King Baahubali was real, or based on a historical archetype, but because there is no official historical record of India, such a glorious deed can only be regarded as an unfounded legend.
And such a story is not only the king of Baahubali, the magical Indian rope is also inspired by a legend. According to the Quran, the holy text of Islam, the rope represents a ladder for mortals to ascend to the immortal world, and only through it can they touch the territory of the gods. Legend has it that a devout Indian ascetic mastered this illusion and really reached the unknown world above the clouds.
But the legend is only a legend after all, for the real Indian rope, we can see it as a mysterious ritual of a religious myth, in fact, it is also a unique folk art form.
It was only later Indian believers and entertainers who invented a street performance that was popular with ordinary people through this ancient legend. You know, almost no one in this country is non-religious, and programs such as religious legends can really earn eyeballs.
The performance process is to prepare a suitable open space, as well as ropes, bamboo baskets, flutes and other related supplies. After the official start, the performers will play the flute, and the rope that was originally weak in the eyes of the audience will be like being given life, slowly standing upright with the sound of the flute, breaking through the lid of the bamboo basket and reaching out to the sky. Then, another actor will climb the rope, meditate on it, or make other moves, causing the audience to scream.
If everyone is watching on the spot, they will surely be amazed by their wonderful performances.
Of course, we don't know whether this legendary story of Tongtian is true or not, but we can only say that at the current level of science, it does not explain how a soft rope can stand upright and be able to bear the weight of a person.
Therefore, the modern secret operation for the magic of the Heavenly Rope was rapidly unfolded, and many people who were deeply interested in it studied tirelessly and finally found the secret behind it.
The reality of India's sky rope is revealed
To reveal the principle of this illusion, I think we must first understand the most critical special rope.
Before the tongtian rope performance begins, someone will first take this rope around the stage for the audience to check, similar to the inherent procedure of the current magic show, the actors will symbolically hold props for the spectators to grope at will. In fact, if the mystery of the special structure can be discovered just by looking at it and touching it, then this prelude can be completely canceled, and even this magic trick is not necessary to perform.
So, when the performer of the rope asks you to examine the rope, it's not really about you to find out anything, but it makes you think from the bottom of your heart that it's just an ordinary rope. But in reality, how is this possible?
Generally speaking, the external structure of the Indian tongtian rope is indeed the hemp rope that everyone is accustomed to, and it looks ordinary to the touch. It's just that they are wrapped around in circles, which are thicker than the average rope. The reason why it is thickened is to protect the special "joint" inside. This so-called joint is the key to the whole illusion, it is as soft as a normal rope when placed horizontally, but when it is erect, it becomes as hard as steel.
Speaking of which, we have to mention another Indian magic show with the same name as the sky rope - the snake dance. The snake, which usually looks like it is lying on the ground and can only walk by swinging its body, can stand upright and dance in the magical flute sound of the Indians.
In the real natural world, snakes also often get up and attack downwards while preying, in order to strengthen the protection of a fatal blow. The special joints used inside the Tongtian rope are actually largely references to the structure of the snake bone, which can be soft and rigid and retract freely. Inadvertently, we found similarities between the two major national activities in India. However, it is not enough to have a special rope, someone must always control it from a soft lying state to an upright and soaring appearance.
And this person, of course, cannot be the ostensible piper who pretends to be a ghost, but a staff member hiding under a bamboo basket.
I don't know if you have seen the action comedy movie "Kung Fu Yoga" starring Jackie Chan, which jokingly ridiculed the secret behind the Indian tongtian rope, and the archaeologist played by Jackie Chan shook the tongtian rope outside in order to avoid hunting, making the underground staff responsible for the telescopic rope dizzy and overwhelmed. In reality, the role of this rope controller is irreplaceable.
He must not only be familiar with the use of this special rope, but also judge the actual situation outside at different moments without seeing the performance scene, which is a test of ability and experience.
At the beginning, the rope controller must cooperate with the piper, and when the flute blows out of a certain syllable or makes a special sound that has been said in advance, the underground must be prepared to let the rope rise. As the rope reaches into the air, the rope climber will also appear, which is the most difficult stage of the performance.
The rope controller and the rope climber who should have a tacit understanding cannot see each other, and the connection and cooperation of various actions require the piper to issue instructions through different pieces of music. Of course, sometimes the sound of the scene is too loud that the underground rope control people can't hear the flute clearly, and they can only rely on experience to judge themselves.
Therefore, although the Indian Heavenly Rope is paved by seemingly magical legends, in fact, as long as everyone carefully discovers and seriously thinks about it, the mystery is no more than that.
That being said, it is not so easy to practice the skills of the Indian rope, and it is not easy to know the principle behind this performance, and it is easy to learn the traditional culture that Indians have passed on for thousands of years. As mentioned earlier, this requires at least three people to cooperate skillfully and tacitly, and each person must do their own work well. Someone must be able to play the flute, someone can skillfully use a special material rope, and some people even have to climb several meters high rope at the expense of personal safety. Doing it all, there's no guarantee that local audiences will actually enjoy your performance.
Just like our country's ancient color juggling and other folk art forms, the special performances of Indians such as the sky rope and snake dance are also the embodiment of a custom culture, and they all embody the efforts of artists and the innovation of skills. Although a small number of people cheat under the guise of traditional culture, most practitioners still have conscience and feelings. We cannot lose respect for traditional artists and performing arts because they are recognized by modern technological means.
At the beginning of the article, it was said that Indians like to live in myths, legends and religious beliefs, such as the tongtian rope, which has obvious religious overtones, and believes that their people will continue to love and pass it on.
Author: Kinoshita Yoshihito Proofreader: Xiao Wan