We have all experienced acrophobia, an intense fear of heights one way or another. When we look down from a multi-storied building, a church tower, or any other tall structure, our head reels, and we try to avoid the experience. We are overcome by similar abnormal dread when flying in an aeroplane or being ferried in a cable car for the first time. One needs to take the plunge and shed our inhibitions if we are to conquer this fear.
When we were little, I recall my siblings and me clambering up the sloping monkey-top roof of our ancestral home in Fraser Town, Bengaluru. Initially, there was trepidation, but we would let out a loud hurrah after accomplishing the feat. However, our first lessons in conquering acrophobia began by scaling the two giant guava trees in the compound of our house.
We would attempt to reach the lowest branch before graduating to the next higher boughs. Then, of course, we had our slips and falls, but each failure made our resolve stronger. Ultimately we grew out of our fears of climbing tall trees, but that was only the beginning. Later we scaled hilltops and jumped from one low terrace to another, but we still get the creeps when looking down from a balcony of a multi-storied building. Unfortunately, the mindless axing of trees in the name of development has deprived the present generation of tree climbing merriment.
Have you wondered how construction workers employed in painting tall structures overcome acrophobia? They adopt a similar ploy. Freshers start low before gradually exposing themselves to heights they struggle with, moving up a level. Over time, having overcome the fear of heights, many descend from more elevated structures with ease.
Painting the outside of a building with assistants and manual props – wooden bench, rope, clamps, etc – is risky business. One false step can spell doom. The string and attached board are lowered a few feet from the terrace before the painter clambers on it and perches on his saddle. One must drop the rope gradually to keep the cargo steady and ensure balance.
Usually, a trio is employed while colouring the side of a building – the painter, the rope releaser and the backup man who firmly secures the rope by squatting on it. Of course, the roles could reverse, and the threesome could exchange their duties. The human cargo keeps the cable under tension as it drops, and the taller the building, the higher the risk to life and limb. Though aerial lifts and cranes have arrived, they are usually employed only to do the exteriors of towering structures.
This brings us to the question – “How many of us spare a thought for the thousands of construction workers who labour in high-rise buildings, putting their lives on the line”? They may have conquered acrophobia and appear confident while going about their duties but don’t we often read of someone engaged in this calling, perishing to a fall, probably caused by a rope snap, panic attack or losing balance. Every dawn brings fresh challenges and perils that we cannot discount. We owe our gratitude to them for making the tens of thousands of high-rises, our abodes and workplaces today!
