Focus: Tongas in Delhi ride into bleak future

If newer modes of transport are an indication, the horse-drawn carriage or 'tonga' in the capital could well be on its last legs.

Having survived the Mughals and the British, it may finally give way in the 21st century. Once a vehicle for kings and nawabs, only a few have withstood the test of time.

The present tonga stands are located at only a few points in the city and they are few and far between. These include the Old Delhi railway station, Paharganj, Sadar Bazar, Inter-state bus terminus, Turkman Gate and Sarai Rohilla.

"It provided self-employment to scores of people when we came to the city after Partition," says Ataullah who runs his tonga from Paharganj police station to Sadar Bazar. "But gradually, other modes of transport began to be introduced in all parts of the city. And soon many of us sold our tongas."

He recalls the time he took tourists to India Gate, Connaught Place, Parliament House, Rajpath, Birla Mandir, Lodhi Road and other parts of the city. But later the authorities decided to clamp restrictions on their movements in certain parts of the city.

Although the tonga was still allowed in the Connaught Place area between 9 am and 11 am and from 5 pm to 7 pm till the mid 70s, that soon became a thing of the past.

Maintaining a tonga is not easy, say owners. A new cart costs Rs10,000 whereas an old one can be bought for Rs5,000. And a good horse ranges between Rs20,000 and Rs50,000. Apart from spending Rs3,000 on a horse monthly, the maintenance of a cart comes to approximately between Rs3,000 and Rs4,000 annually.

"It is a must to keep the cart in shape for fear of the licence being cancelled by the municipal authorities," said an owner.

The fare charged by a tonga ranges from Rs2 per passenger to Rs10, depending on the distance. "Earlier we used to earn between Rs300 and Rs350 daily, but now it has reduced to between
Rs150 and Rs200," said Tony, who has been in the profession for the past five years.

Mandwa has been a tongawallah or a tonga driver for the past 40 years. "Earlier getting into a tonga was a matter of prestige for people and it gave us a great feeling to own a tonga. But the new generation frowns open the idea of using it as a mode of transport. After me, the family may not even continue with the tradition of owning it," he said.

"The best times of the tonga ended in 1947. Our family has been in the profession for many generations. The English were very keen on tongas and even imported them. They gave us good money. And till 1975 we managed reasonably well. But times changed and the advent of cycle rickshaws killed our profession and livelihood."

He earns around Rs200 daily. Most people, he says, make this much money every day. And anyone who earns less cannot afford to survive. "You have to spend on the upkeep of the cart as well as feed the horse. If someone is not earning enough, he cannot feed his family," he claimed.

However, not all are as fortunate as Mandwa to own a tonga. Some rent it from the richer amongst them for Rs150 a day. Mangat Ram, who works from 9am to 5pm, says some people with money own two or three tongas, which they rent to the unemployed.

Running a tonga for the past 25 years, he says: "My children tell me to do some other work. But since I am old, weak and uneducated, I cannot find an alternative. Although running a tonga and waiting for passengers is quite strenuous, I have no choice."

The increasing popularity of other modes of transport has visibly affected the income of tonga owners. People prefer anything which takes less time to transport them to their destination over the slow moving tongas.

But Mohammad Yunus "Netaji", President of the Association of Tongawallahs at Turkman Gate for the past 20 years, refuted such claims. "In areas such as Connaught Place it is difficult to drive at a speed of more than 20 kms due to traffic. And this is the speed of a tonga. So, I do not see any reason why a tonga has been banned from certain areas around Connaught Place," he says.

"Even while the government is spending a huge amount on preserving the old monuments and ancient heritage of the city, it can certainly do something to preserve the tonga culture which has been the city's pride for centuries."

Tongawallahs accused the Delhi Police and the Railway Police of allowing the tongas to ply into Ajmeri Gate if they bribed them. "Those who do not are thrashed and driven out," said a tongawallah.

In 1952 the number of tongas was 5,000, which has now come down to a measly 800. It is most likely that in a decade or two there may be no tongas and a symbol of the good life of the 19th and 20th centuries will be gone.