Blame it on the television and multiplex culture in India; The Circus which was once considered as a national heritage is dying.

The fact that circus troupes can barely attract enough of a crowd means earning applause from the audience has become an uphill task. According to Circus-goers, it does not excite them anymore. "The enthusiasm of the performers has waned, and the vibrancy of the spotlight has faded," said Amit.

Prashant Srivastava, the manager of Top Circus, said, "People only come on weekends and the rest of the time there's hardly an audience. We need US$1,800 daily to maintain the circus but we earn less than US$1,000. Most of that goes into looking after the animals and for salaries. We need 65 trucks for our equipment, so transport costs are hefty and there are so many other expenses."

At present, there are only ten Indian circuses still active whereas in the first half of the 20th century there were as many as 50 circuses touring the country.

"The performers were treated as honoured guests, with large fan followings at that time," recalls Prashant, adding that the Indian circuses were even preferred over their more flamboyant Russian and Italian counterparts.

But the situation has gone out of proportion as circus owners are fighting a tough battle just for the sake of survival.

Some trace the death knell to new restrictions imposed by the Indian Supreme Court.

The Court banned five categories of wild animals " tigers, leopards, lions, bears and monkeys " from taking part in circus acts.

With that, the crowds lost interest, as these animals, especially the big cats, were the main attraction for many.

Adding to the woes of circus owners is the growing pull of movies and television.

Said stuntman Mohan Singh, "People watch television these days and no longer value circuses. With the new restrictions on the kinds of animals we can have, the circus is doomed."

The Indian circus today is struggling to remain afloat amidst the many challenges " financing, performance licence requirements and stricter animal regulations.

Unless the authorities step in with supportive measures, circus owners fear this rich Indian tradition could soon be a thing of the past.