Kuda Bux was an Indian mystic born in Kashmir, India. He was known as Khudah Bukhsh in Pakistan. Like Imhrat Khan in Roald Dahl’s tale about Henry Sugar, Kuda Bux had mesmerized audiences while performing stunts when blindfolded. He was known for performing stunts like- firing a gun at the target with his eyes taped shut and replicating the images, numbers and even mathematical problems as it is, while he was blindfolded. According to Kuda Bux, it was his sixth sense which helped him to perform without any errors or mistakes.
He was invited to various countries to perform. Before his performances team of experts, were assigned a task to make sure that he isn’t using any tricks and fooling people. Bux passed all investigations and was found to be a fair man. But even after all the investigations; Kuda Bux was blindfolded and things like soft dough, cotton swabs, rubber pieces were placed in front of his eyes in a way that the material covers the space between his nose and eyes. The outer layer of substances would actually conceal his adjustment from the audience.
In the year 1935, in front of scientists from the University of London Council for Psychical Research and news reporters, Kuda Bux had performed a task, where he had to walk barefoot on the bed of burning coal. The bed was approximately 12 feet long and 3 feet deep. Checkups were done prior to his performance. The check-up was done by the team of doctors and scientists to make sure that his feet are not abnormal and he had not applied any chemical or liquid on his feet to protect himself from burning. But the team found that his feet were normal and he had passed all the other tests. Spectators of the event had pinched their nose thinking that Bux’s flesh would burn and would smell bad but nothing of that sort happened, other than a minute scar on his heel. Kuda Bux walked through the bed with great ease and calm.
Later in Liverpool, he walked along the entire narrow ridge of a long building 200 feet above ground while blindfolded. Then in 1945, he rode a bicycle skillfully through the congested streets of New York and Times Square, again with his eyes tightly taped shut. Many a times spectators had doubted his abilities but at the end, everyone had to believe that he was not a liar, when he actually lost his vision due to glaucoma, and even after that, he was able to perform.
Kuda Bux was on Robert L. Ripley’s first televised “Believe It Or Not” show. Later in the year 1950, Kuda Bux starred in his own CBS series as Kuda Bux, Hindu Mystic giving demonstrations in mind reading as well as eyeless vision. He also appeared on the Johnny Carson show and “You asked for it” doing a Blindfold Drive through Santa Monica, California.
He once said, “I believe in Card Reading but I don’t believe m card readers I believe in Mentalism but I don’t believe in Mentalists I believe in Spiritualism but I don’t believe in Spiritualists.” He was actually blessed by God with such abilities that he was able to perform so well without cheating anyone like many of the magicians had been doing in past. He maintained his reputation until the time he died due to the heart attack in 1981, on 5th February.
