A beautiful dayA tanga ride

Have you ever thought, that there is such a vehicle, whose noise sounds soothing and pleasant to the ears?

In the present time, we travel by two-wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheelers, and finally by train and aeroplane.

But one vehicle, I have used long back always made me nostalgic. That is none other than a horse cart (tanga).

I still remember my last ride on tanga. It was the year 1987 in Jammu (J&K). The month was Dec, a bit cold, and a sunny day. Being newlywed, we both were invited to lunch at the residence of my childhood friend.

It was on the outskirt of the city (chathaa). Those days we didn't have a car. The distance of 7-8 km we travelled by three Wheeler. From one point(satwari) we have to switch to another public conveyance either bus or minibus.

After waiting for 10-20 minutes we didn't get any bus. Just then my husband saw a horse cart, a tanga, standing there and the driver, tanga puller was calling the passengers with a loud voice to board. The tanga was beautifully and brightly decorated with coloured ribbons, bells and the horse was in good shape.

My husband told me, "Do you want to go on tanga".

I was also excited, after many years I got the chance to have a ride of tanga, moreover, the weather was also good. The tanga puller charged one rupee for each passenger. It was so adequate. We selected the front row to sit. There was a capacity of 6 persons, three on the front row and three on the rear row.

We both were in a jubilant mood, but after 10–15 minutes, we saw the tanga puller was not in the mood to move. He was waiting for four more passengers there was still a shortage of 4 people.

Then my husband thought, why don't we just hire the whole tanga. Charges were very reasonable just 8 Rs.

In today's language, it was a "charted tanga".

The moment tanga started striding, the sound of the horse's feet and the bells tied with the neck of the horse got mingled with each other. It was so musical and pleasant, just a feast to ears. The driver driving the cart with his noise and a whip in his hand. In between the neigh of the horse was like the sound of the cymbal in the orchestra.

We both started recalling old Hindi movie songs shoot on a horse cart. With the periodic sound of a horse cart, top tip, top tip, top tip, in the background music we both sang various songs we played antakshri.

Awesome weather, sunny day, and beautiful surroundings. Tanga going on the blacktop road with lush green fields of rice on both sides. Though a bit bumpy, that was an amazing and enjoyable ride.

On reaching the destination, my husband helped me to step down from the tanga by offering his hand towards me. That time I felt like a queen stepping down from her royal baggy. My friend and her family members were delighted to see us on tanga.

That was a remarkable experience to travel in a horse cart, unforgettable days.

The culture of the tanga is disappearing due to the high speed of modern transportation, which thrills the new generations.

However, there are still some old generation people, who support and want to keep the tradition alive. Tourists who come to India still take rides in tanga, to experience their Indian charm.

Those people who are still deprived of this experience should experience it once in their life. Only then they will know, that the noise of some vehicles also sounds soothing and pleasant to the ears.