The last gasps of India's struggling circuses
A look behind the curtain at one of the country's surviving big tops

A member of the acrobatic team peeks from behind the curtain as she waits backstage in Mumbai.
(REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui)

Getty Images
(Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

Getty Images
(Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

The Associated Press
(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Getty Images
(Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

Getty Images
(Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

The world's shortest man Chandra Bahadur Dangi, 72, poses for a picture with the artists of the Rambo Circus in Mumbai. Dangi, who is from Nepal and stands at 21.5 inches, made a guest appearance in the circus.
(REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui)

A man in clown make-up washes dishes before a show in Pimpri, India.
(Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

(REUTERS/Vivek Prakash)

Getty Images
(Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

Performers relax with their children in a tent before a show in Pimpri, India.
(Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

Biju the clown puts on gloves before a performance in Pimpri, India.
(Allison Joyce/Getty Images)