Born
in Australia of Sri Lankan Tamil
and British
descent, in
1978 Andrew,
at the age of 17, traveled to India,
where he spent two years in remote villages learning the traditional
skills
and feats of the Indian fakirs.

Fakirs are Indian magicians, said to have supernatural
powers, and able to do wild physical feats that defy the maxims
of Western science.

These include charming deadly snakes
in large baskets with the use of musical instruments, sword swallowing,
lying near-naked on a bed of sharp nails without incurring any
injuries,
levitation and the infamous Indian
rope trick.