KOCHI: The eeriness of the structure that plunges fearfully into a deep and ghastly trough sends chills down onlookers’ spines. It is the place where daredevils come to flirt with death, and probably hence, called the ‘well of death’.
The show has a driver, adept and acrobatic, performing stunts on a vehicle that swirls around a centre in tapering spirals. One mistake, and the torque would blow the driver straight away onto a disastrous injury if not death.
Once a mainstay in most carnivals, it is now a vanishing art. However, recently, a blockbuster number by rap sensation Hanumankind gave it a shot in the arm by using the theme as an artistic metaphor in his song ‘Big Dawgs’.
TNIE lensman B P Deepu visits the backstage of such a daredevil performance in Varkala. The artists customise their rides by assembling parts from many vehicles. After a tiring performance, they, settle down for a meal they cook in their tents.
Theirs is a life that revolves around the ‘well of Death’.