Sayandeep Roy

Sanviti Iyer

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Binaifer Bharucha

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Rubel
Sheikh and Anil Khan are driving...but they are nowhere near the ground. They are approximately 20 feet up on an almost perpendicular 80 degree incline.
The big crowd at the mela in Agartala
is cheering them on. Rubel and Anil reach out of the car windows and wave. 



They
are performing at a maut-ka-kuan (well-of-death) act – multiple stunts using a car and bikes driven vertically
up the ‘wall’ or sides of the stage. 



The
performances are broken up into 10 minute-long shows, and continue for hours.
The arena is a well-like structure made with wooden panels and takes a few days
to set up in melas (fairs). Most of
the riders are also involved in setting up, the mechanics of the stage being
critical to the show and their safety.Ominously titled as ‘maut-ka-kuan’, it is one of many attractions at this mela for Durga Puja in October 2023 in Agartala,
Tripura. Other attractions include a ferris wheel, merry-go-round, toy-trains.

“We
can drive any car on the wall, but prefer the Maruti 800 because the windows
are big and it’s easy to get out [during performances],” says stuntman
Rubel. He says they also use four Yamaha RX-135 bikes: “We use old bikes but
keep them well maintained.” 



From
Malda, West Bengal, he heads the group and owns the vehicles. Rubel says he has
used these same motorcycles for more than 10 years now but, “they get serviced
regularly.” 



The
events draw young boys from rural areas. Describing how he got into this event,
Mohammed Jagga Ansari from Jharkhand’s Godda district says, “I used to like it
when such fairs came to my town in my childhood,” and so he joined a circus as
a young boy, initially helping out with small tasks. “Slowly, I started to
learn how to ride,” says the 29-year-old performer, adding, “I like that I get
to travel to so many places because of this work.” 



Pankaj
Kumar, who is from Warisaliganj, a village in Bihar’s Nawada district and also
started young: “I left school after Class 10 and started learning to ride.” 



Like
Ansari and Pankaj, the other performers and those who construct the area and
stage are from across India and move with the group to different melas. They usually stay in tents close
to the fair where they are performing. Some like Rubel and Ansari travel with
their families, while Pankaj goes back home when there is no work.

Work
for the maut-ka-kuan begins with
setting up the well-like structure. “It takes somewhere between 3-6 days to set
it up but this time we didn’t have much time so we had to complete it in three
days,” Rubel says, adding that they do it slower if they have the time.



Finally
it’s show time and at around 7 p.m. the crowd in Agartala starts lining up to
buy tickets – priced at Rs. 70, and free for children. Each performance lasts
for 10 minutes with at least four people performing stunts on two cars and two
motorcycles. They perform at least 30 times in one night with 15-20 minutes of
break in between. 

At this mela in Agartala the show became so
popular that they extended their performances from five days to an additional
two. 



“Our
daily wage ranges from Rs. 600-700, but what people give us during the show is
our primary source of income,” says Ansari. In a good month with many
performances, they could earn up to Rs. 25,000. 



Rubel
points out that the show can’t be held throughout the year: “It is difficult to
do this show during the rainy season.” When this work cannot be done, Rubel
goes back to his village and farms. 



Pankaj
brushes off the dangers of this risky performance: “I am not afraid of the
risks. There is nothing to be afraid of, if you are not afraid.” The group
recollects that there have been no deadly accidents in the time they have
worked. 



“I love the happiness in the crowd when we perform,”
says Rubel.

In Agartala, driving up the wall!

اگرتلہ کے میلہ میں موت کا کنواں

అగర్తలా మేళాలో మృత్యు కూపం మాయాజాలం!

அகர்தாலாவில் சுவரின் மீது வாகனம் ஓட்டுதல்!

ਅਗਰਤਲਾ ਦੇ ਮੇਲਾ ਦਾ ਮੌਤ-ਕਾ-ਕੂਆਂ

ଅଗରତଲାରେ, ମରଣ କୂଅରେ ଜୀବନ!

अगरताळ्याच्या जत्रेतले जिगरबाज गडी!

അഗർത്തലയിൽ, വണ്ടിയോടിച്ച് ചുവര്‍ കയറുന്നവർ!

ಅಗರ್ತಲಾ: ಸಾವಿನ ಬಾವಿಯೊಳಗೆ ಘೀಳಿಡುವ ಕಾರು, ಬೈಕುಗಳು!

अगरतला का मेला और मौत का कुआं

અગરતલામાં મોતના કૂવામાં!

अगरतला के मेला मं मौत का कुआं!

अगरतला में दीवाल पर चलत गाड़ियन के कहानी

আগৰতলাত মাধ্যাকৰ্ষণ আৰু মৰণৰে ডেকাল’ৰাৰ খেল

মৌত-কা-কুঁয়ার কেরামতি আগরতলার মেলায়

Agartala

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In Agartala, driving up the wall!

In fairs across India, the maut-ka-kuan (well-of-death) performance is a high stakes, maximum eyeballs sell-out, performed by young men who also help set up the gravity-defying arena. This one was held during a mela for Durga Puja in Tripura and was so popular it had to be extended

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