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HORSE power!
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Jatkas are an alternative mode of transport in some pockets in the city. PRINCE FREDERICK takes a ride down their rickety path
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We are on Karuneegar Street, near Adambakkam railway station. As darkness gathers, the bare outlines of a jatka or horse cart pop into sight. The cart lumbers into its "stand" (which is a semi-vacant plot adjoining the road), smothering us in a dust bath. The cart rider, Janakiraman, tells us that he has just dropped "a batch of five passengers" at Mandaveli for Rs. 15.
There are also a few other places in Chennai where horse carts serve as an alternative mode of transport. In these localities, the vehicles driven by "horse power" are posing a challenge to those propelled by "horsepower." More precisely, they are giving auto-drivers and share auto operators a run for their money.
"You must be making sufficient money?" we ask Janakiraman.
His eyebrows go up. "Sufficient?" With his mouth curled disdainfully, he says, "You can be happy in this profession if you do not expect too much. There are about 20 horse cart riders in this stand. You can count yourself lucky if you manage three rides in the morning and another three in the evening. These are shared rides and each passenger pays Rs. 3 for a ride to a place like Mandaveli. You can accommodate no more than five people on a trip. Most of our passengers are those commuting to work and back."
Janakiraman and many others of his ilk come from families which have traditionally been riding horse carts. But the difference between Janakiraman and his forefathers is that the latter were living during days when horse carts and carriages would go roaring up city roads and no policeman would haul them up for it.
"Today, city roads are off-limits for horse carts. The city administration has taken a hard line against jatkas straying on to the main roads, as they (jatkas) can slow down traffic to a crawl," says K. Babu, even as we clamber on to his horse cart. "However, our services are desired in the suburbs, especially in places where auto-drivers are reluctant to go. A good number of jatka riders in the city are concentrated around railway stations. There is some business there. But it is not sufficient."
Then why do you continue on this path which, as you say, is so bumpy? "Because we do not know anything else. This is what I have seen since I was a kid. Moreover, despite the poor returns I love to be a horse cart rider. Most of us here do. We fuss over our ponies. We give them names of film actresses. I have named her Lakshmi (pointing to the pony that is in harness) and her foal Sneha."
After a ride that has covered about two kilometres, we stop at Vanuvampet. A thatched hut there is a stir of activity. Inside, Mari Acharya is a picture of concentration as he gives an old axle its right shape with metronomic clangs of a hammer. His brothers Uzhaganathan Acharya and Raja Acharya are greasing wheels. Though their Karumar Pattarai (or vehicle workshop) is located on Arcot Road, they pitch a tent wherever there is work, as they have now done.
Ironically, these men who are instrumental in taking people to their destinations, are on a one-way ticket to nowhere. "We eat a hurried breakfast and leave for our place of work. We cannot afford to lose out on the little work we get - usually ten days in a month," says Mari. "Earlier, horse cart riders in the city came to us for having carts made, but now they buy carts second-hand from villages like Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur and Gudiattam where horse carts are aplenty." As a result, most of their work consists of repairing carts and stitching old blinkers, stirrups and girth straps.
Why do they continue on a path that many others like them have abandoned? Mari does not answer this question, but just smiles. But his eyes say it all. Pride. That's the answer. He may not have a cent to his name, but he cherishes memories of making the best horse carts and carriages at a time when they enjoyed more space on Chennai roads. He also fondly remembers his grandfather relate stories of how the princes would hurtle splendidly down Arcot Road in their expensive carriages.
Poverty may not be an easy cross to bear, but pride makes it easy to put up with it. The Acharya brothers testify to this.
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Royal ride
There is another side to the story. While horse cart riders just survive with their meagre earnings, (some) horse carriage riders in the city not only survive, but also flourish.
Unlike the horse carts, the horse carriages are embellished. And the horses that draw them are sturdier and taller than the ponies that pull the carts. These carriages and horses are hired for weddings, birthday bashes and farewell parties. Diehard supporters of politicians and ardent fans of sportspersons also hire them for their idols to parade through the city in all glory.
Thennavan on EVR Periyar Salai and Govindaraj on Canal Bank Road are counted among those that provide the best carriages and horses in the city.
With a seat for the driver and two others for the passengers, many of these carriages are a pale imitation of Victorian barouches. However, they are given an extra spit and polish at the Karumar pattarai (vehicle workshop) for that eye-catching look.
"After all, these carriages carry men such as Viswanathan Anand and Vaiko," exclaims Thennavan.
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Metro Plus
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