The tragic story of Tongas in Bengaluru

At a time when the delivery of goods business is becoming more sophisticated, traditional Tonga wallas in the heart of the city have managed to keep the age old tradition of supplying materials through Tonga (horse cart) alive.

For 71 years old, Syed Basheer a resident of Tannery Road, who has been riding Tonga for over 50 years, not finding any support from either government not the Bengaluru city corporation to save the legacy is more heartening.

The Jataka or tonga stand of Netaji at Frazer Town was established in 1902, and this tonga stands along with Tonga Stand at Thimmaiah Road in Shivajinagar were only two big horse cart stands for Bengaluru then.
"My father was in the same business, and I also started to shuttle passengers. Those days, public preferred to go in Tonga. The families use to approach us to commute the pregnant women to Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital in Shivajinagar for delivery. I have witnessed close to 700 child birth in my Tonga alone,"  he said.

Apart from patients service, the tongas were used to ferry VIP's, police officers, politicians and advocates. Shivajinagar being a hub of commercial activity like the supply of goods like vegetables meat, Paddy, Ragi, Milk and Bread, people from surrounding had to come for purchase, and the Tongas were the only source of transportation then to carry goods and ferry people for long disance.

"I have ferried local politicians like Karnataka Chief Ministers R Gundu Rao and in 1980 when he became the Chief  Minister later when in 1986 Ramakrishna Hegde also boarded my Tonga. The Journey from Kumarakrupa in Race Course Road to Vidhana Soudha was covered in Just 40 paise in Tonga.  These tongas in mainly in Cantonment areas of Bengaluru are the gift of Mysuru Maharajas, and our successive governments have failed to preserve and maintain it," he said.

For Anand Kumar who is the fourth generation tonga wala, stories of the way the tradition has passed on to him was enough to thump his chest,  at the same time, the escalating cost of fodder, grass, horse gramme and supply of water has become a great concern now.

"Rs 300 has to be spent on each animal every day, but the earnings are not that great.  Hardly two to three people approach to supply goods like pipes and other construction materials. In a day we earn about Rs 500 from Tonga. If the government recognises the historical significances and gives the grant to maintain of cart,rrepair the roof top and cares the animals, we will be able to survive the onslaught of the modern day transport, else one fine day everything will be gone"  he said. 

The stands at Guttahalli near Bengaluru Palace, Vayalikaval, Seshadripuram, Chamrajpet Cottonpet, Kalisipalayam and Magadi Raod were build to cater the public at West and South part of Bengaluru.

"The people were coming reaching Bengaluru Majestic Railway Station has to board the tongas at Cottenpet and reach their destination. The charges for each trip was between ten paise to 25 paise in 1950's My father had told me about  the best use of Tongas was at Kalisipalaya as this was a trade centre and all the merchants had to move the goods from here to other place using tongas, but now there are very few takers," he said. 

• Tonga
• Frazer Town
• Shivajinagar
• Majestic
• Gundu Rao
• Ramakrishna Hegde
• Karnataka
• horse cart