Tamil Nadu - Ramanathapuram   

The last of the once popular horse carts of Ramanathapuram

C. Jaishankar

They have dwindled to just three from a whopping 600 in the Sixties

THOSE WERE THE DAYS: Children enjoying a jolly ride in a horse cart in Ramanathapuram.

RAMANATHAPURAM: The days are not far for the extinction of `tongas or jutkhas' (horse carts), a popular mode of transportation of yesteryears. In fact, it has already become rare to see them on road. Being the headquarters of Sethupathy kingdom of the erstwhile Ramanathapuram Samasthanam, a large one as well, it used to be common sight to see a large number of horse-carts in these parts those days.

However, the number has dwindled to just three from a whopping 600 in the Sixties.

"The golden days are over. People used to give top priority to the horse cart owners, as they believed that the cart owners were rich in the society. In fact, most of the affluent people had a healthy competition in nurturing the horses. We used to conduct horse races to prove our supremacy over one other," said A. Samsudeen, (65) of Bharathi Nagar in Ramanathapuram, who is having a horse cart since 1955. Nowadays, there are no takers for horse carts. Even the owners of the three carts struggle a lot to feed the animals in the absence of public patronage.

We get offer only from children for jolly rides. If foreigners see our vehicles, they come forward for a ride. If this trend continues, I have no option except to abandon my only known livelihood," he said.

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