A man acting as monkey

'Monkey King' is a cynosure of all eyes at Chitradurga Fort
by Jaipal Sharma

Chitradurga: Monkeys are known for causing nuisance to tourists visiting any place, but a man at Karnataka's Chitradurga Fort has acquired popularity by acting as a monkey. Raju performs monkey-like acrobatics and swift scaling up of walls, rocks and pillars without any external aid. Known as 'Monkey King', Jyoti Raju entertains visitors at the Chitradurga Fort in Karnataka by his monkey-like acrobatics. Jyoti Raju, 23, today known as 'Monkey King', says he hasn't taken any training from anyone but has learnt all his skills watching monkey. He calls them his inspiration. Jumping from one rock to another, scaling walls or any man-made height without any aid, Raju truly lives up to his nick name 'monkey king'. He does it all to draw visiting tourists' attention at the Chitradurga Fort. His swift, smooth, efficient and direct moves are much similar to Parkour, a new genre of sport catching up with youngsters in western countries. The outdoor sport needs determination and mental prowess while jumping from one height to another. Raju, who grew up as a labourer, started practising the skill four years ago. He tells that he acquired these skills at a time when he was about to give up his life by jumping off a cliff to end his daily struggle and endless poverty. Four years on, he has mastered the art by watching the moves of, monkeys, and aping them. He has now struck a chord with these monkeys at the Chitradurga fort area, earning a new name for himself-'Kothi Raju'. "At Chitradurga in Karnataka, they call me 'Kothi Raju', meaning the Monkey King in English or 'Bandar Raja' in Hindi. I got this name when I started imitating manoeuvres of monkeys while jumping and climbing up trees and walls," says Jyoti Raju. Today, Raju intends to popularise his art among kids and want some help from the government or individuals. "I want to start a mobile van club to give practice to children and, thereby, highlight the name of my country in this genre of adventure. I am looking for support to fulfil this task." Raju loves watching 'Spider Man' to take a leaf out of his book to learn new stunts and manoeuvres.
-July 30, 2009

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