Ferris wheel comes a circle…mela goes on

Though the joyrides have stopped, it is no consolation for the Modis, now recuperating at Nanavati Hospital. Doctors have since sewed back Meena’s scalp, while her husband Kamlesh who lost a portion of his thumb trying to save her, awaits discharge tomorrow.

The fair’s manager, Shivraj Rajgopal, and the wheel operator, Munna Ramlal Gout, were arrested by the Santa Cruz Police under Section 338 of the Indian Penal Code for negligence of duty and werereleased on bail on Monday afternoon.

The Modis’ tragedy was marked by a cruel twist of irony as Sunday was the first day the stubborn wheel began to function `without a hitch’ since the fair opened on May 17. Entertaining an average of 600 persons between 5 pm and 11 pm, the mela had not lived up to B N Goud, the organiser’s expectation of around 2,000 visitors per day. But that Sunday, the crowds were bigger and the Rs 10 per ride for 25-30 rotations on the giant wheel was attracting more people than usual.

Asked why no signboards had been erected asking people to keep their hair tied and `dupattas’ tucked in, Rajgopal made a candid admission. The slip, he told Express Newsline, was entirely their mistake.

However, he adds, “It is not possible to halt a ferris wheel in full swing as the entire contraption would shake, if not topple.” He claims the operator, Munna, did apply the brakes during the second round soon after he heard the screams but it was only after the third round that the wheel creakedto a halt, he recalls.

After the Modis alighted and in the ensuing confusion, Munna slipped out of the venue, to another fair at Thane. Rajgopal dispatched some men to Thane later, to bring him back and turned both Munna and himslef over to the police, he says.

Kamlesh told Express Newsline that the police only came once, at around 3 am, hours after the incident occured and took down their statements. “They haven’t showed up since,” he says. After being discharged tomorrow, the first thing he will do is “collect a copy of the First Information Report”.“What happened to us should not happen to others,” is all says, drained of emotion for the time being. “The owners should not be allowed to get away.”Says Rajgopal: “There is no regulatory body to issue licences to persons manufacturing ferris wheels and no one monitors their condition,” he says.

“While organising fairs, we get together those who have these contraptions and give them a platform to do business after making sure the item works.”The wheel at this fair is from Bharuch in Gujarat, owned by one Dawood.But Rajgopal’s candid statements belie the ever-present danger lurking in every seat of these monstrosities. “Accidents are likely to occur, but we can’t stop the giant wheel rides. They are the integral part of fairs,” comes his tepid reply.

Activity at the mela has not slowed one bit though Rajgopal plans to wrap up the fair before its June 7 deadline. However, in sync with Mumbai’s stony heart, the tragedy is farthest from Rajgopal’s mind. He says a cash crunch has forced this decision. His next stop will be Gujarat, where he may not use this particular wheel but “will definitely have another one.” The wheel’s owner and the fair’s organisor are both out of town but they have been summoned and are expected to arrive on Friday. Police say investigations are on and it will a while before a chargesheet is filed.

The wheel in all probability will turn full circle, the Modis, Mumbai and everything gory associated with it forgotten.The show, after all, must go on.