# The Great Kanchana Circus

> A historical novel about a circus duo's journey home after WWII bombs Burma.
- Title: The Great Kanchana Circus · Scroll | Shortify
- Summary: A historical novel about a circus duo's journey home after WWII bombs Burma. Vishwas Patil's historical novel details a circus family's escape from Burma…
- Keywords: the great kanchana circus, vishwas patil, sarang shinde, kanchana, circus, burma, second world war, myanmar, marathi, translation, india, Scroll
- Source: Scroll — https://scroll.in/article/1096903/the-great-kanchana-circus-a-historical-novel-with-a-gripping-premise-but-excessive-details
- Author: Debasmita Bhowmik
- Published: 2026-11-14T03:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: the great kanchana circus, vishwas patil, sarang shinde, kanchana, circus, burma, second world war, myanmar, marathi, translation, india, news
## Circus origins
The Great Kanchana Circus starts with Sarang Shinde, a former army man, building his circus in Maharashtra and Karnataka with his daughter Kanchana.
## Kanchana's role
Kanchana, an acclaimed cat-handler, drives the circus's success with her bravery and flamboyance.
## Family background
Sarang Daaji raised Kanchana as a single father after his family rejected him.
## Burma performance
Kanchana and her circus perform in Burma ahead of Christmas, becoming a major attraction.
## Japanese attack
Japan bombs Burma on December 23, two days before Christmas, stranding the circus.
## Escape journey
Kanchana organizes the safe return of workers and animals as British flee Burma.
## Research background
Author Vishwas Patil researched circuses stranded in Burma during WWII nearly 30 years ago.
## Excessive details
The novel's excessive detail makes the narrative monotonous and less gripping than its premise suggests.
## Key takeaway

Vishwas Patil's historical novel details a circus family's escape from Burma during WWII but becomes monotonous due to excessive detail.