Eximshun and the well of death

Recently, we saw Sheetal Devi winning three golds in archery and Adriana Macius in ‘Spain's Got Talent’, applying makeup and picking up books from high shelves. What was so special? Both used their legs, as they were born without arms. At Lulu Mall in Palakkad, we saw Pranav Balasubramaniam showing use of a mobile phone with his feet to the owner, Ali, earning a job immediately. Born without arms, Pranav is multi-faceted. Watching them reminded me of my early childhood over 75 years ago, when I saw 'Kai illaadha Kannamma' (Armless Kannamma) sewing, cooking, and ironing clothes with her feet! One had to pay two annas (one-eighth of a rupee) to see her skills. 

My home town, Trichy, hosted an industrial and handicrafts exhibition for six weeks during the summer holidays every year, referred to as eximshun by the elderly women who struggled to pronounce 'exhibition'. Elders from our joint family would take groups of 8–10 children in turns to explore the exhibition. The entry ticket was one anna (one-sixteenth of a rupee), and most individual attractions cost two annas each. 

An announcer positioned atop a table in front of a large tent would shout through a megaphone, inviting people to watch 'Kai illaadha Kannamma' by paying two annas. There was a colour-neon exhibit with mannequins of a mother feeding her child with a spoon; we used to gape at the slow movement of the mother's hands lifting a spoon and placing it in the child's mouth and the child opening its mouth, wondering at science's marvel! Then there was a Dr Sambasivan who would repeatedly announce, ‘Vellai sakkarai thalleedungo' (avoid white sugar to keep diabetes away). 

There were many stalls for games of skill, carousels, and the ubiquitous spinning wheel. These days, dragons, camels, and elephants too have joined. There were many shops selling sundry items. 

The most interesting was the Well of Death, where one or more motorcycle riders raced around the wall of a huge drum/well at high speeds, performing stunts such as riding on the walls, standing on the seat, or riding with a passenger. The audience watched from the sides. The rider had to balance speed, centrifugal force, and friction, along with a proper leaning angle. A rider would start from the bottom of the well and do vertical loops right to the top. When he is stationary for just a moment on top, another rider will start from the bottom, both going at great speeds and crossing each other without a mishap. Sometimes it would be a car and a motorcycle. That used to cost a whole rupee to see. Years later, it would be a question in a pre-university course exam to work out the 'minimum speed to perform the stunt safely'. 

All the while, the PA system would blare continuous announcements in Tamil, imitating Radio Ceylon. Megaphone noises at various tents added to the cacophony, which made hearing even the nearest person impossible!