A 64-year-old internationally acclaimed Kerala magician Samraj on Sunday said that he is ready to do his bit to reduce the tension and uneasiness that people in Kerala are undergoing due to COVID-19.

He told sources that he is willing to play his trade by doing magic shows for free, wherever the State government or the State police want. "I am anyway sitting at home doing nothing and this is when this idea dawned on me. Why can't I keep my people, who are now suffering and undergoing mental trauma, in good humour. I am ready to perform for free, wherever the government wants me to do," said Samraj.

Samraj lives at Mavelikera about 100 km from the state capital and was in the news recently when he did a solo magic performance so that the authorities might open their eyes to the travails faced by those who work along with him and it got the necessary reward, when the Kerala government decided to help those who work in the entertainment industry.

"Magic is an entertainment and it will certainly help them get a feel good feeling. So I felt, if the authorities wish, I am ready to do my bit to ease the tough times," added Samraj.

Samraj, an engineer by profession who took to full-time professional magic after quitting his job in the Middle East a few decades ago, is the winner of the prestigious 'Merlin Award', popularly known as the 'Oscar of Magic'.