Bhubaneswar, Nov. 15: Wearing a yellow shirt and bright red nose, Happy Foo-ling-You, made instant friends with children at the ongoing Anjali National Children's Festival.

The 58-year-old clown, played by Pravin Tulpule, has the right tricks up his sleeves to capture the attention of kids who attended his workshop conducted at the fest held in the city today.

From getting them to make fun of themselves to fooling around with each other, Tulpule wants to bring a change in the way people see clowns.

"In our country, clowns have remained figures of ridicule showcasing slapstick comedy. There is mystery associated with our image. But our only job is to make people happy," said Tulpule, who hails from Mumbai.

After serving the Indian Navy for more than 17 years, it dawned on Tulpule that he would loved to "do silly things now and then".

"During my tenure in the Navy I attended a lot of parties and I did a lot of stupid stuff that brought smiles on people's faces. People used to love my antics. So, I gave up my profession and took up clowning," said Tulpule who has also been practising magic since his school days.

Tulpule is often invited to birthday parties, corporate training programmes and promotional events. But, he feels that his art goes much beyond mere slapstick or physical comedy.

"Clowns bring an element of fun in everything they do. But the sad part is the society is yet to look up to it with dignity. So, this art form has just remained a mere form of entertainment," said Tulpule who dreams of setting up a clown school in India.

Pravin has performed at a number of places across the country and he always tries to induce some socially relevant message in his act such as cleanliness, water and electricity conservation, importance of traffic rules or healthy eating.

For Tulpule, his family is his biggest support.

"When I told my family that I wanted to become a clown initially they were shocked. Today they are happy with what I am doing. I feel proud when my children also accompany me to various shows and act along with me," said Tulpule.