Pune has come a long way since India's independence. Today the city has taxis, rickshaws, Bus rapid transport system (BRTS) and there are plans to start Metro rail. But some generations ago, the only mode of transport available in the city was horse drawn carts or Tonga's
Much before the Pune Municipal Transport (PMT) introduced buses started to ply of the road. It was the victoria's as it was known those days that ferried people all across Pune. The busy Swargate that we all know today during the British days was known as Sawar Gate. Sawar is the word in Marathi for rider or jockey or a ride.
A designated Tonga stand stood at the Pune station and other well known places like Ghorpuri, Kirkee and Swargate. Till date there is a location known as Tonga stands that exists Ghorpuri but of course today the Tonga's are missing.
I met the family of Amina Lashkari, whose family's three generations has been in horse cart business. She fondly recalls her husband who used to ply tonga from Pune station to various destinations in the city till 1960's but once the auto rickshaws arrived on the scene, the horse tonga business slowly faded into history.
Her husband is no more but the Lashkari family has been fighting to keep the tradition alive not in the form of tonga's for commuter service but by renting and providing the horses to weddings and other such rituals. Today her son has continued the tradition by maintaining a string of horses that are supplied to various wedding processions.
The Lashkari family lives in the bustling Sahkarnagar area of Pune surrounded by high-rise buildings and they continue to maintain a small stable that has around 15 horses that are provided for the wedding ceremonies in Pune.
While most families prefer the traditional white horse for wedding ceremonies there are others who prefer the modified version of rath or the auto carriage that has no real horse but mere horse models.
The Lashkari family informed me that today maintaining the stables and horses is by no means an easy task. They have to shell out at least couple of thousand rupees each day for the food, medicine and other upkeep of the animals, something that is not very lucrative today yet when I asked them about the future of the profession. She answered with a smile saying, "Most Indians still prefer and lead very traditional way of life and for many families no wedding is complete unless the groom rides a white horse"
She also went on to add that horses are not just a means of earning livelihood but they are dear to her as much as her children and her loved ones.
The horses may no longer be used in form of tonga's or Victoria's for commuting but let's hope that till the time Indian traditional family uses horses in their marriage ceremonies the lovely horses will continue to add charm and glitter to the weddings and keep trotting and galloping forever.
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