India’s Dying Street Culture: The Well of Death

Rituparna

India’s Dying Street Culture: The Well of Death

Popularly known as the Maut ka Kuan (The Well of Death), a terrifying tradition had been thriving in India that is now on the brink of extinction. In this story, let us revive this dying street culture and experience the thrilling adventures of The Well of Death.

Maut Ka Kuan or the Well of Death. Image Source: flickr

Hopping on their motorcycles, the riders rev their engines, the sounds echoing among the crowd of screaming people in the galleries. It’s a siren of death for them, but for the audience, it is pure entertainment. And so they gear up, prepare to defy gravity and hopefully death, over and over again.

The Well of Death is one of the most dangerous events that take place in regional carnival festivals of India. At this event, the audience would see riders both in two-wheelers and four-wheelers, riding round and round in a semi-conical arena. It literally looks like a deep well!

The pit is in the shape of an inverted cone and is made of wooden planks. The tracks for the riders are the circular walls of the conical pit that are as high as 30-50 ft. The riders begin from the lower end and ride up in circles at breakneck speed straight for hours! Looking from the platforms around the tracks, the audience holds their breaths and lead out gasps and hoots as the riders showcase their dangerous skills and battle against death.

Two principles are at play here: gravity, which pulls the motorcycle or car down, and the centrifugal force that maintains the circular rhythm.

Interestingly, this concept originated first in the United States and was popularized by the show American Motordrome, which dominated the fairs in the early 20th century. The first show took place in Coney Island in 1911 on a slanted track.

At the same time, there are those performers who are driven solely by their passion. They do not care about danger or death.

In an interview with Scroll Magazine, Mohammad Shamil Ansari, one of the performers, expressed his sentiments quite beautifully,

“Nahi hume dar nahi lagta. Waha chalane ke liye jigar chahiye or balance. Marne ko toh hum sadak pe bhi mar sakte hai.“ ( No, I am not afraid. To ride there, you need courage and balance. As far as death is concerned, I may die even on the streets).

Interestingly, even women found their ways into The Well of Death to follow their passion. One of the first women who performed in the Well of Death was Munira Abdul Sattar Madni. She was even used as a stunt double later in a few Bollywood movies like Jhoonta Kahin Ka (1979). Such was her popularity in the 70s and the 80s that her mere presence was enough to attract crowds to the event.

Later, the track assumed the form of an open silo (kind of a tower or pit where grain is stored). Because of this shape, it was called ‘silodrome’ but it was more popularly known as ‘The Wall of Death’ among the audience. The show in America lost its prominence, but it became an inspiration for the daredevil riders in India.

Initially, the performers used bicycles for their stunts, but they were gradually replaced by motor vehicles. The performers in India, often do not wear helmets or protection gears, and their vehicles are often in bad shape, making their event far more thrilling and dangerous than the ones in America and elsewhere.

Looking at these performers, some might say that their stunts are easy and effortless, but this event is extremely risky and there have been reports of accidents in the past in The Well of Death. One such unfortunate incident occurred during a carnival in New Delhi in 2011, following which the Delhi High Court banned this dangerous event in the national capital.

So we may wonder, why do these performers go to such lengths for a mere performance? Some are driven by passion, others by compulsion. The performers of The Well of Death come from many regions of India and for different reasons. Most of them hail from the remote areas of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and choose this profession to seek an escape from their harsh, poverty-ridden lives. The pit gives them a sense of purpose and the danger and thrill give them a sense of accomplishment.

One thing that binds all the performers in the show, irrespective of their differences, is their courage. Some do it for money others do it to feel the thrill and entertain their audience. But we can agree that they all need immense courage for this risky activity.

Sadly, The Well of Death is gradually losing its charm in the present times. With virtual entertaining platforms increasing day by day, people seldom prefer to watch these live shows because they can experience even better performances on their big television screens. Even some performers have left their jobs to search for better employment opportunities. But the ones who come for passion continue to fight hard to keep this tradition alive. Defying all odds, these performers risk their lives to entertain their audience, fearing nothing but the death of their passion.