Rhythmic echo of horse hooves has faded into silence

Berhampur: There was a time when the heart of Paralakhemundi beat to the rhythm of horse hooves. The quaint two-wheeled carriage - ‘Jhatka’ - once a symbol of pride, grace and romance, rolled gracefully through the narrow lanes, ferrying people to railway station, markets and celebrations. Today the clatter of wheels is but whispers of a bygone era. Those sounds have vanished, leaving behind faint memories and fading photographs. The centuries-old ‘Jhatka’ totally stopped running in Paralakhemundi about 26 years ago.

For decades, the two-wheeled carriage Jhatkas were the pride of Paralakhemundi. For many children of the 1970s and 80s, a Jhatka ride was a thrilling adventure. But modernity has taken its toll. With the arrival of auto-rickshaws, motorcycles and cars, the demand for horse-pulled Jhatka dwindled. The few families who reared horses and maintained the carriages found it hard to sustain themselves. Rising fodder costs, lack of stables, and shrinking patronage gradually pushed them out of business.

Though there is no official record about the introduction of Jhatka in Paralakhemundi, such horse-drawn carriages were operating in Paralakhemundi more than 125 years ago when the construction work of the first private railway line of Odisha between Naupada and Paralakhemundi started in 1899, said epigraphist Bishnu Mohan Adhikari. The Maharaja of Paralakhemundi constructed a ‘choultry’ in front of the entrance to Jangam Sahi and boarders used Jhatkas to go to Paralakhemundi railway station. Some luggage was also transported to areas now in Pakistan by train from Paralakhemundi and Jhatkas were used to transport it to the railway station, said Bishnu.

Kabi Sekhar Chintamani Mohanty wrote about ‘Jhatka’ after his visit to Paralakhemundi which was published in ‘Praja Bandhu’ in 1906 under the headline ‘Ganjam Bhramana,’ said Bishnu. He wrote: “Siana lokata pare bujhuni e sabu, Odiare pacharila Jhatka loda babu. Cha paisa dei tahun kali khande jhatka, nistara paili gala bata chala khatka.” (“The Jhatka operator asked me in Odia-Do you want a Jhatka? I hired the Jhatka by paying six paise and was relieved from the pain of walking”). In 1990, the Gajapati district administration cautioned ‘Jhatka’ owners against using horses in a manner that violates animal cruelty regulations. The historic ‘Jhatka’ then totally stopped operating in 2000.

The history of ‘Jhatka’ in Paralakhemundi has a link with the people, who belong to ‘Mala’, a Scheduled Caste community looking after the horses of the erstwhile rulers of Paralakhemundi, said Bichitrananda Beborta, a senior citizen of Paralakhemundi.

T Kishore Kumar, son of late Shivaji (a Jhatka master), said seven to eight families of their community are still residing in Paralakhemundi who operated the ‘Jhatka’. All of them have now switched over to other professions. A solo female horse of that era, which was alive at neighbouring Narasannapeta in Andhra Pradesh, died recently. Tampala Karuna Laxmi, daughter of Shivaji, who is a Lecturer in Zoology in KC Pur Higher Secondary School, said many of their family members are now working in different fields. “The horses were just like our family members and almost everybody treated them with love and affection”, she said.

T Kishore Kumar said, “In 1990, when the district administration cautioned us not to use horses to pull Jhatkas, there were 50 to 60 such carriages in our locality. Most of the Jhatkas were plying between Paralakhemundi and Patpatnam, Lihuri and other nearby places. The maximum rent was Rs 15 to Rs 20 per head.” He said 10 to 12 passengers were accommodated in one Jhatka.

Paralakhemundi was under Madras Presidency and horse-drawn vehicles of European style began appearing in Madras by the 1840s–1850s, largely used by British officials and wealthy Indians. It became popular as a public conveyance in Madras Presidency towns in the 1870s–1880s. This must have encouraged the Maharaja of Paralakhemundi to introduce ‘Jhatka’ in his hometown, said researchers. As dusk falls in Paralakhemundi, Jhatka hooves are no longer heard. A slice of Paralakhemundi’s heritage has disappeared quietly.