PESHAWAR: The traditional tonga, a horse-drawn two-wheeler, once a popular attraction for tourists in the city, is now fast fading away because auto-rickshaw and auto Xhchingi have replaced it.

People used tonga as public a transport facility and for many other purposes. There used to be tonga stands at different points in and around Peshawar city but now only a few tongas could be seen as they are not allowed to ply on main roads and could only use service roads.

Interestingly, close to Speen Jumaat in University Town is located a tonga stand where village dwellers still in the vicinity regularly use tonga for transportation purposes. Tonga riders say only around 150 horses at about five tonga stands ply on service roads to connect villages in the vicinity of Peshawar.

Experts believe that tonga ride could be revived in the city as local visitors still cherish a tonga ride. Akbar Hoti, a young tourism expert, tells this scribe that a race of tongas could be arranged in the city to revive its golden tradition.

Tour expert says race of tongas can be arranged in city to revive its golden tradition

He says that local tourism could be encouraged by conducting such events. “Tonga ride trip used to be a fascinating journey with or without family. A place could be specified for it,” he adds.

Mirzaman Kaka , 80, a resident of Tehkal Bala, gets up early in the morning and spends 30 minutes to prepare his beloved tonga, which he calls ‘Pataasa’ (cookie) out of his extreme love for the animal, the only source of income for his four-member family.

He says that he was 15-year-old when he adopted tonga riding as his profession. He recalls that he would charge a single passenger from two to four annas for taking a one side ride from any tonga stand. He says that getting tonga riding official licence was tough as one had to ride a tonga within a circle of bricks without touching the same.

Tonga riders complain that vaccination of their horses is not being conducted as it used to be a decade ago.

Janas Khan, a tonga rider, says that long ago vets used to pay visits on weekly basis and carried out proper checkup of their horses. “We take care of our horses on our own. On every Friday night, tonga riders untie their horses, wash them with soaps and put antimony in their eyes as we believe that God asks them about how we treat them,” he adds.

He says that horse is very intelligent and powerful but unpredictable animal as it smells only its owner and service-giver.

“Although I am illiterate yet I had learnt a few sentences in broken English to allure the foreign tourists. If a tourist would ask me in English ‘how much bucks’ I would politely answer ‘as you like’. Foreign tourists would never miss a tonga ride across the city. Till early 80s, tonga ride was a great attraction for visitors but now it has reduced and confined only to a few points,” the octogenarian tonga rider regrets.

Elisheba Khan, a student of University of Peshawar, tells this scribe that she along with her friends sometimes enjoy a tonga ride on Sundays. She says that tonga ride gives them great pleasure as it takes them back in history.

“It is a journey in time how people in the past would enjoy a round city trip on tonga ride,” says Ms Khan.

Saidwali Jan, another tonga rider, says that tonga stands still exist at Tehkal Bala, Speen Jumaat and Arbab Landi. He says that horses are named after popular film actresses and Pashto folk singers like Kajal, Shabana, Nazo, Shakeela Naz, and Gulpanra.

Mr Jan says that prices of horses are varying from Rs10,000 to Rs150,000 depending on the quality, race, body structure and colour. He says that a white colour horse with green eyes along with tonga may cost Rs250,000.

“A tonga rider earns Rs800 to Rs1,500 per day. Almost 50 per cent of our income goes to rearing of the animal,” Mr Jan explains. He says other colours of horses including brown, black, and red are also liked by tonga riders.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2016