Horse carts in Mysore get new powers this Dussehra

Every Dussehra, Mysore plunges into the past, picks one cherished thing or practice and brings it back to life. This year, the horse carts (jataka) have regained their lost glory. Twenty-five of them have new wheels, carriages, robust horses to pull and one of them even has an FM receiver.

They will ferry tourists around the city to a maximum of five kilometres. The jatakas were the only means of transport before the internal combustion engines came in. Though many of them went out of business, the ones that survived turned rickety and their horses skinny because of dull business and rising costs.

The Dussehra sub-committee on tourism helped 25 chosen jatakawallahs (as the tourist prefer to call them), who were given incentives to decorate their carts, refurbish them and get robust animals to pull them.

“We told the jataka drivers to keep themselves clean and wear the uniform and the headgear [Mysore peta with golden lace] and gave them basic lessons in dealing with customers. As an added incentive, we raised the fare from an abysmal Rs25-30 for a circle around the palace to a minimum of Rs100 for rides,” district-in-charge minister SA Ramdas said.

A jataka driver, Jabilullah of Mandi Mohalla, was happy about the attention that his trade was getting. “I have been in this business for 30 years and never have I worn a uniform and a peta. I am feeling good about jataka-driving. Inshallah, I shall do it with pride for rest of my active life.”