Working with My Manasaguru at FOKANA

I call Gopinath Muthukad my manasaguru—a mentor I carry in my heart. It is a personal word for the place he holds in my journey with magic. His work has made me think about what an artist can do with the attention an audience gives him.

On August 6, 2026, I had an opportunity to contribute to that work at the FOKANA convention at Kalahari Resorts in Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania. I joined Muthukad sir’s M-Cube presentation, supporting its theatrical performance through camera and production work.

He had personally invited me because of the combination of magic and filmmaking that I bring to my work. That meant a lot. These are interests I have followed for years, putting time into each and finding my own ways to bring them together. Here was someone I deeply admired seeing a place for that combination in his production.

I felt proud, emotional and very conscious of the responsibility. Muthukad sir had trusted me to help. I wanted to be useful to him in exactly the way he needed.

The stage was big. So was the LED wall. With a screen on that scale, the camera becomes a very visible part of the performance. What you frame, and when the image appears, can make a difference to how a moment reaches the audience.

This was where my two interests met in a practical way. Knowing magic helped me understand the importance of the performer’s timing. Knowing filmmaking helped me think about the image. My role asked me to keep both in mind while supporting the larger theatrical presentation.

I enjoyed that work. There was something deeply satisfying about bringing skills I had developed into a show by my manasaguru. Admiration had become an opportunity to contribute, with a real responsibility attached to it.

And the purpose of M-Cube made the experience more meaningful. The program brings together magic, music and a message of inclusion and opportunity for children with disabilities, and has carried that combination to audiences in several countries. I was grateful to contribute to its presentation here in Pennsylvania.

Children deserve opportunities to express themselves, develop their abilities and be included in the life around them. A performance can help people give that thought their attention. When art reaches a large gathering, I hope some of its message travels home with the audience and continues beyond the event.

FOKANA, the Federation of Kerala Associations in North America, provided an important community stage for this work. Being there made me think about the encouragement I have received from the Malayalee community in my own journey, including our COMA family in Ohio. I carry that support with gratitude. It has helped me keep making films, developing performances and saying yes to opportunities that ask something new of me.

When I think back to FOKANA, I remember the scale of the stage and the LED wall. I also come back to the invitation that brought me there. Muthukad sir saw a way I could help, and gave me the chance to do it.

That is what makes this memory personal. I got to work with my manasaguru, using skills I care about, for a cause I was happy to support.