HYDERABAD: There is no reveller in sight. No colourful lights flashing, no sea of joyous people, no cheering and laughter, no aromas of chaat at the food zone, no cotton candy, no touts trying to make a quick buck, no crowd near the giant rides — the Nampally Exhibition Grounds is dead silent.
But what’s sadder than the abandoned venue is the lifeless Maut Ka Kuan, the well of death, which was one of the most popular attractions there. Hyderabadis would flock to see stuntmen, sometimes even women, defy death for a living.
Today, stuntmen like Ali spend hours staring at the well of death, trying to figure out their way ahead in life. “He is kind of depressed. I am too. But, I know that this year we have to go back empty-handed,” says Imran, Ali’s friend and a 30-year-old stuntman from Jharkhand, who has been a daredevil since he was 14.
“There is no official decision on reopening Numaish. But everyone now knows that it is not likely to happen. Some businessmen have even started packing up to go back to their hometowns. We are to wait because the owner (of the Maut Ka Kua) has to make a decision,” he says.
The group might have to dismantle the setup soon, after the owner spent Rs 6 lakh to assemble it. “Now, it will cost another Rs 6 lakh for him to take it back to our hometown,” shares Zakir Ahmed, another stuntman.
For the last two years, the stuntmen of Numaish have suffered losses due to the pandemic, and this year it has turned worse.
‘Daredevil’ Ali says, “In 2019, tickets sold like hotcakes and I was visiting Hyderabad for the first time then. Although I have a fixed salary, I had made a lot of extra money from the tips that people gave us. I made close to Rs 1 lakh from the tips alone. I was full of hope when we got the setup here this year. I had expectations, especially because I am to get married this year. But, all my plans are on hold on. Thankfully, our employer has been kind; he continues to pay us our salaries despite the pandemic.”
The stuntmen get injured often. In fact, the accidents have increased after they were made to wear helmets since 2014, but they have managed to pay their medical bills so far. “Helmets block our sense of hearing, which is a key to maintaining balance. But since we have not performed for two years in a row, the owner is under losses. I don’t know what he’ll do once he runs out of funds, it scares me,” says Imran.
Maut Ka Kuan is 5-m tall and looks like a giant wooden water tanker from the outside. It has a floor above it on which people can stand and look at the stuntmen go against laws of physics. As Ali puts it, “Papi pet ka sawaal hai” (it’s a question of survival).