Disappearing Tongas of Lahore - Once The Poor's Rolls Royce

The horse driven carriages have ruled the world for since time immemorial. Once these elegant carriages were the prestigious means of transportation for the rich and famous. By and by, these start to vanish from usual city roads as dirt roads disappeared and metaled roads came to accommodate cars and other means of transportation.

However, these continued to be a major to subsidiary means of transportation in our part of the world for a considerable period of times. And were used in cities as late as 70 and 80s. I remember, we had a stable called "Astabal" near in our house in Lahore and tonga stand nearby where one could hire a tonga for any destination in the city. Occasionally, the licensing teams would come and new tonga licenses were issued after giving many tests to the horses to ascertain their roadworthy strength, the same we now licensing authorities give roadworthy certificates to vehicles. 

Photo taken by me while travelling in a train

Abdullah, one of the kochwans (tonga driver) was our favourite for he had decorated his carriage very elegantly with brass couplings and plates polished everyday and a pedestal mounted bell horn. We loved riding his tonga and he would occasionally allow us to press the bell horn, a feel I still remember.

In Lahore, the single horse drawn carriage was known as Tonga or "Tanga" (in local language), similar to the one in above photograph. In Karachi, these were called Victoria for these resembled the carriages of England and the design came to this part of the world when the British came to the Indian subcontinent.

Lahori Tonga - Photographer Unknown

The tongas in Lahore were of two types: the straight carriage tongas, which were the usual sights, and the Lahore Tonga. The latter was unique design but very uncomfortable to ride. I wonder who designee it and why.

As of now these tongas are no more to be seen in the cities, but are still being used in the villages a cheap and affordable means of communication. I shot the above photo from the moving train a while ago when passing through a village.The state of the tonga speak of the poorness of its owner and the people who travel in these. But for them, it is still their Rolls Royce.

If you ever want to ride a in Lahore, do visit old Lahore, specially the Bhaatti Gate where local tour operators have these tongas specially prepared for tourists and you can have a ride of the old Lahore and be fascinated with the glory and awe of the narrow alleys overlooked with tall buildups, though now in much dilapidated condition. When the tip top of hooves of the horse of the tonga resounds among the rather closed environment of the walled city, it leaves reverberating memories of the once glory of the old Lahore where princes and wazirs once rode on their royal carriages.

Tourists from Abroad enjoying Tonga Ride in Old Lahore [Photo] 

One may also have a tour of famous old Anarkali Bazaar, now turned into a food street near the Tollington Market on the Mall Road. Here one can also have a hearty dinner in pure Lahore style with heavily oiled dishes which leave the diners licking their fingers even when the dishes have been wiped empty.

Watch this video below, though not in English, but it gives the viewers a good view of riding a tonga and walking through extremely compressed alleys of old Lahore:

So when in Lahore, look for tonga tours especially when you are in the vicinity of Old Lahore and Old Anarkali Bazaar. Believe me memories of tonga rides would stay in your memory chips for a long time. And do not miss to disembark at some eatery serving pure desi Lahori foods and lassi. If you are a early riser, then head for Old Lahore for breakfast of Halwa and Puri. This is something that very special to Lahore.

Photo[Header]: Source Unknown | 
References | Top 5 favourite breakfasts of Pakistan | The Lahore Fort Road Food Street | Eateries of Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore | Lakshmi Chowk - The Heart of Lahore | Nostalgic eateries of Lahore |

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Islam: My Ultimate Decision - My New Blog

I have been writing blogs for quite sometime now and writing on some very diverse subjects. But one subject that I have always avoided to write was religion for I thought I was not equipped with knowledge to write about religions, specialty Islam and its comparison with other faiths.

But lately I have been reading about religions with reference to Islam, the final and ultimate heavenly religion revealed in the shape of the Holy Qur'an to the last of the prophets Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. I also read case studies shared by non Muslims who opted to leave their ancestral religions or faith and adopted Islam as their final religion. 

This prompted me to begin writing about Islam and its comparison with other faiths in a lay man's language, quoting references from holy scriptures and offering my view point as a Muslim. I have not tried to go into the intricacies as it would require a scholarly wisdom and knowledge .

Thus my new blog "My Ultimate Decision" is a blog which is basically written on the experiences of those who became Muslims and their life thereafter. My Ultimate Decision thus speak their language while interjecting useful information from all faiths while projecting the view point as a Muslim, based on the knowledge of the Holy Qur'an and as explained to us by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

In my pursuit, I have learnt many new things that I had not known before, some of which are the major hurdles in understanding the view point of people of others faith. I also came to know that hardliners are on both sides but while Muslims believe in all of the prophets before Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and all the holy scriptures including Psalms, Torah and Bible revealed before Holy Qur'an, there is a hesitancy on part of people of other faiths to recognize Islam as a holy religion and Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him as the last messenger of the Allah(God for others).

But then the encouraging thing is that despite many a misunderstanding, the religion of Islam is gaining popularity among the non Muslims and the graph of them accepting Islam is rising very fast. In fact some fear that Islam one day may overtake other religions for it leads to the ultimate truth and closer to Allah without any in between hurdles.

Do read my blog Islam: My Ultimate Decision and send me feedback to incorporate changes based on your experiences as a Muslim and specially after converting from other faiths to Islam. May Allay grant us wisdom and knowledge to know the truth and follow the path shown to us by Allah. Aameen

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I bought Google yesterday

Please do not take for nuts or something for saying that I bought 'Google' yesterday. Because I really mean it and I did buy google yesterday.

Let me tell you how - because I know you are still taking me as someone out of my minds or something. So please read this post till the end to find out whether I am OK or ...

Well this the season of humidity and rains and when it is not raining and sun is shinning, the weather become too humid and it makes difficult to breathe both for people and other living beings on or under the ground. Those over it find some shade and have a temporary escape from the sun, yet still sweating profusely due to timidity, the living beings living inside the surface are compelled to get out to breathe and find somewhere cool enough to sustain the weather.

One of these living beings are snakes - the dreaded crawlers that come out of their holes and try to find a cooler place. As this is also their breeding season, their offsprings, tiny and many, also are on the move and find the gap between doors to crawl inside the rather cold houses. 

Over the past many days, I have killed many such crawlers who were enjoying free hospitality under sofas and chairs, hidden from direct observation.

You may be wandering what Google has to do with the snakes and humidity. Well if you are still doubting my mental health for having bought Google, let me now reveal the secret.

Well yesterday my wife asked me to go buy Google - I momentarily thought she was asking me to Google and find an answer to the snake kiddies coming into our house. So I sat on my computer and tried to find some solutions. Seeing me not moving, she came and asked me as why I do not go and buy Google? Well I told her that I am trying to find the answer by Googling it. 

A smile came on her face and said, "I am not asking you to Google it on the net - go and buy Google from some store. And then it dawned on me what she meant by Google. She was asking me to buy 'GOOGAL' - a herb that when burnt on coal gives out smoke that repels snakes and other insects. So I went to an old shop selling Eastern herbs and bought Googal for Rs. 80 for 50 grams. The shopkeeper also advised my to buy 'Hermal' and leaves of 'Lehri' and burn these along with Googal and smoke the areas for frequent crawling places of snake kiddies.

Would it work, I do not for sure, but the fact remains that I bought Google or Googal yesterday for Rs. 80. Hows that!!

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Let us not be a prisoner of our past

There are people around us – or should I say most of us are prisoners of our past, living each day with the memories of miseries we endured at some point in time in our yester years. To many, living a nightmare life is taking a heavy toll of their health and happiness – sometimes finally ending in a suicide or becoming a criminal to avenge. 

We all have our bad and good days since childhood. I mostly read people coming from tougher backgrounds, hard life and then finally doing good and settling down for a full life ahead.

But most of the people are not willing to forget their difficult life or even prepared to forgive those who made their lives miserable. Some even continue to blame their parents for robbing them of their innocence for they could not afford them a better living or for not protecting them from the wrongs at the hands of the bad.

Though it takes real guts to forgive and forget, we should still try our best to forget the bad and tough days and start forgiving those who were unfair to us. If we do not do that, we will continue to be a prisoner of our past and would never have a happy life ever.

Nelson Mandela, when leaving the prison after spending 27 long years of his life in there recalls: “As I walked out of the door towards the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I did not leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison.”

This is how great men are born – not living in the prison of their past. Please ponder over it!!

Photo: Pixabay
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10 Amazing Water Villages around the World

While the Palm Beach City, Dubai is being developed by colossal cost to build a city over the sea, there are many villages that thrive over water by poor with no high costs as the Palm Beach City of Dubai. These Water Villages are small settlements that are usually built on the water as an extension to an already thriving village on land. Houses often float on the water or are located on stilts and rarely on small islands. 


I came across a list of ten such villages at Funzug and thought of sharing with my viewers. These Water Villages are increasingly becoming popular tourist destinations. 



1. Ko Panyi, Thailand


Ko Panyi is a fishing village in Phang Nga Province, Thailand notable for being built on stilts by Indonesian fishermen. The population consists of roughly 200 families or between 1,500 and 2,000 people descended from 2 seafaring Muslim families from Java.
The village has a Muslim school which is attended by both males and females in the mornings. Despite the recent rise in tourism, life in Ko Panyi is still primarily based around the fishing industry as tourists only visit in significant numbers during the dry season. The village includes a floating soccer field. Inspired by the 1986 FIFA World Cup, children built the pitch from old scraps of wood and fishing rafts.2. Halong Bay Floating Village, Vietnam


A village of about 600 inhabitants built on the water can be found in Halong Bay. It is a magically calm place, an escape from the hustle of Vietnam streets. The village is a true waterworld, rising and falling with the tides, sheltered amidst limestone towers.
Locals live mainly from the sea. Most of the rock islands in the area are too poor to be cultivated. Halong Bay is very rich in fish and sea food. In this picture you can see some floating houses. Locals live in these houses and every morning they go fishing. They sell their catches to bigger boats, that bring the fresh fish to markets in the continent.3. Giethoorn, Netherland


Giethoorn is a village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. This village is called the Venice of the Netherlands for about 7.5 km (4.5 mi) of canals run through the little village. It was founded around 1230 when fugitives coming from the Mediterranian regions settled there.
All traffic has to go over the water, and it is done in so-called "punters", they are 'whisper-boats' for they are driven by an electric motor, so they practically do not disturb the peace and quiet in this scenic little village. Many houses have been built on islands and they can only be reached by the wooden bridges. Some 50 little wooden bridges span the canals, which are only 1 meter (3 ft) deep. Giethoorn has 2620 inhabitants.4. Uros Floating Village, Peru


The Uros are a pre-Incan people who live on forty-two self-fashioned floating islands in Lake Titicaca, Peru. These islands are hand-made from a native species of reed (totora) that abounds in the shallows of the lake. Uros people build temporary houses that float atop the water surface. The tide washes over their houses at times, so new layers of reed need to be laid every 2 weeks for better resistance.
The larger and most visited islands appear to many travellers as floating souvenirs, and to some extent these indeed are tourist-traps, their inhabitants having succeed in living off tourism. However, most of the smaller islands remain isolated from visitors and still practice a traditional way of life that includes old-technique fishing, bird-trapping, and relying on totora for housing and transportation.5. Wuzhen, China


Wuzhen is one of China’s ancient water towns, where waterways thread their way through the flagstone streets and alleys. Covering an area of 71.19 square kilometres (27.49 sq mi), Wuzhen has a total population is 60,000 of which 12,000 are permanent residents.

Wuzhen displays its two-thousand-year history in its ancient stone bridges floating on mild water, its stone pathways between the mottled walls and its delicate wood carvings. Also, setting it apart from other towns, it gives a unique experience through its profound cultural background.6. Kampong Ayer, Brunei


Kampong Ayer is an area of Brunei's capital city Bandar Seri Begawan that is situated after the Brunei Bay. 39,000 people live in the Water Village. This represents roughly ten percent of the nation's total population. All of the Water Village buildings are constructed on stilts above the Brunei River. Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque at night (the mosque is built in an artificial lagoon on the banks of the Brunei River at Kampong Ayer)
Built on stilts and linked by bridges the water village is also served by water taxis and has its own schools, hospitals, restaurants, shops, mosques and petrol station. From a distance, although many of the dwellings look neglected and run-down, they actually have all the modern amenities including air conditioning, satellite television, Internet access, plumbing, and electricity. People have lived in this village for over 1300 years and some of them keep potted plants and chickens.7. Zhouzhuang, China


Zhouzhuang, one of the most famous water townships in China, is situated only 30 kilometers southeast of Suzhou City. It is a enchanting place. This village features crisscrossing water lanes, ancient bridges and buildings built on and over the rivers. In an area of half a square kilometer, 60 percent of the Zhouzhuang's structures were built during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
It is noted for its profound cultural background, the well preserved ancient residential houses, the elegant watery views and the strong local colored traditions and customs. Zhouzhuang has been called the "Venice of the East". 8. Ganvie, Benin


Ganvie, also known as the Venice of Africa, is a lake village in Benin, lying in Lake Nokoué, near Cotonou. With a population of around 20,000 people, it is probably the largest lake village in Africa and as such is very popular with tourists.
The village of Ganvie was established in the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries by the Tofinu people, when Dahomeyan warriors raided their countryside for captives to sell to the European slave traders. Originally based on farming, the village's main industries other than tourism are now fishing and fish farming.9. Kay Lar Ywa, Myanmar


Kay Lar Ywa is water village located on Inle lake. Residents of this village are Intha people, which are members of a Tibet-Burman ethnic group. They support themselves through the tending of vegetable farms on floating gardens. Also, the Intha are known for their leg-rowing techniques.A floating tomato garden on Inle Lake


The lake weed of Inle is collected by the Intha people to create floating gardens, which are anchored to the lake bed with bamboo poles. These floating gardens, called kyun-hmaw,which are built-up from strips of water hyacinth and mud, dredged from the lake bed, which breaks down into a rich humus; it take 50 years to produce a layer 1 m thick. The floating allotments are anchored to the bottom with bamboo poles. Land is also reclaimed in this way, and parts of the lake have been reduced to a maze of canals around these plots. Most of the produce grown on the lake gardens is vegetables - mainly tomatoes and beans10. Tongli, China


Tongli, alternately Tong-Li, is a town in Wujiang county, on the outskirts of Suzhou. It is known for a system of canals. Tongli is half an hour away from Suzhou city. The place retains many of the features of an ancient Chinese town.
Tongli enjoys fame across China for its beautiful canals, historic bridges and opulent court yard homes. Tongli has 49 stone bridges and many gardens, temples. Because of the landscape, almost all of the buildings are constructed along the waterfront. The water also creates reflections of the town's arched roofs, lofty gables and stone bridges while green willows also line the banks can.


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