Since ancient times man has been using the bullock cart but before you think that they have no place in today’s age of motorcars and tractors, consider how much you are paying for petrol.
Manzoor Ahmed, a resident of Ayub Nagar, has been making the carts for the past 35 years. “We have to buy and bring the material for the cart from Hyderabad and it costs Rs30,000,” he explained. “Building the cart is a difficult task and can take up to a month but the profit we make is not commensurate with the enormous effort put in.”
He used to get nearly 10 orders a month but now he only receives two or three. Motorcycles, pick-ups and rickshaws are preferred by the villagers now.
Each cart is four-and-a-half feet long and two-and-a-half feet wide. Sometimes if an order is urgent, Ahmed uses electrical tools to speed us the process, otherwise he relies on the basic tools such as hammers and saws. His son Abid paints and decorates the carts to add a personal touch.
Although bullock carts move at a painfully slow speed, they are still a regular feature of village to market roads. And in fact, the often get preference on right of way to the fast-moving cars. No one wants to spook the animal and have the cart upset. Cars will wait patiently till they pass.
The carts are used to carrying heavy loads in addition to passengers. And in fact, they are perhaps the most environmentally friendly modes of transport as they do not need any petrol, diesel or CNG and there is no threat of their engine breaking down. Before trucks and buses were invented, these carts also used to carry everything - from compost to wedding processions. This type of transport is so old that clay models were found in Moenjodaro — strong proof of their historical significance and perhaps their immortality.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 10th, 2011.
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