Rickshaw : dekh magar pyar se !

Tue 7 Jun 2005 1:30 am

Quote:

An auto rickshaw (auto or rickshaw in popular parlance) is a vehicle for hire that is one of the chief modes of transport in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and is popular in many other countries. It is a motorized version of the traditional rickshaw, a small two- or three-wheeled cart pulled by a person, and the velotaxi. The auto rickshaw is also related to its Thai cousin, the tuk-tuk and the becak (Bajaj) in Indonesia.

In India and Pakistan, Rickshaw is part of our culture. Millions of people travel in it throughout the year. Rickshaw has its own fun and humour associated with it. In Karachi, one of the worlds most populated cities, Rickshaw is an active means of public transport. People, specially those from pakistani or indian origin and born outside the country, or the foreign visitors find Rickshaw particularly amusing and amazing. We, the indians and pakistanis have a class and culture of our own. So we find humour in things which could be weird to outsiders. Like Rickshaw itself is associated with a lots of humours. They are well decorated, so much that sometimes you have to appreciate the artist behind all those paintings and craftsmanship. The hanging pieces of metallic artwork, the one thousand mirrors inside (which generally the drivers use to have a really "good" glimpse of particularly female passengers), the hoardings, slogans, poetry, phrases and banners at the back of the Rickshaw. Infact those hoardings and banners have sparked people from time to time to quote them down; there are examples of things that can be seen at the back of rickshaw and even a rickshaw blog can be found, dedicated to the paintings and slogans at the back of Rickshaw.

Here are some people sitting in the rickshaw who decided to capture themselves in all those glaring mirrors:



There are basically two major types of auto-rickshaws seen on the streets of major cities like Bombay, Karachi, Delhi, Lahore, among others. In India, mostly they use that black and yellow painted old styled rickshaw, which is also available in parts of Karachi. I personally prefer to call that as "maryal" riksha. because the colors of it are so depressing and gives the rickshaw a really old 1940's look. If you are in a rush, you'ld never want to get yourself seated in one of those things. It could refuse to climb a bridge (as infact it did for me once in Karachi) and could take more than hours to reach your destination. So i preferred to use the modern "blue" colored new rickshaws whenever i needed one. The old black rickshaw is like this:



To most people in Karachi and Lahore who prefer to take public transport, Rickshaw seems to be the ride of choice. As some say it even beats the new air-conditioned buses because of fresh air and the ability to enter narrow streets. The fun starts when you sit in and the driver pulls the "danda" at his left bottom side, to start the Rickshaw. It makes a grinding tak-tak-tak noise similar to what concorde would make before a take-off. And best part, like some Rickshaw drivers have it written under their seat "Pilot Seat" so they can make that thing literally "fly" if you just pay them 10 to 15 Rs. extra. They can go to a super-sonic speed believe me ! you have to make sure you are holding the "hanging heart" from the side railing firmly, or a sharp turn can throw you out of the Rickshaw. And not to mention those bumps you get on your head when everytime it hits a road bump, your head makes it even by hitting the rod on the top of your head. In Lahore, most people call it "Chaand Gari" or "Ching-Chee" which is originally from China "Quing Qui" (pronounced ching-chee), these are now adopted in Lahore's workshop and basically any Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki can be modified. Most of the Rickshaw are from the Italian company Vespa. The Vespa Gallery shows one of the original designs.

Rickshaw does not necessarily have to be sober. Some parts, specially in Lahore or faisalabad etc. you can find really decorated Rickshaws like some photographer captured below:



If you are into technical stuff, then it might interest you that a Mississauga based Canadian Company Yugo-Tech has developed a gaseous fuel injection system for the two stroke engine, and is working with Pakistani government to help reduce toxic emissions from the Auto Rickshaw. If you want to build you own LEGO Rickshaw, this might help. There is a Rickshaw Forum where you can discuss things about Rickshaw. If you are an engineer, you can even find some plans / blueprints / designs for a indian rickshaw (plan1, plan2, plan3, plan4). Hell, you can even play your own Rickshaw game online.

There could be so many things said about Rickshaw. The excitement, the fun, the humour, the ride, the mirrors. Infact, its not even a thing of India, Pakistan or South Asia. Like I said its global. You can find Rickshaw in Sweden, Germany, UK, Columbia, USA and even a Canadian selling Rickshaw and spare wheels on ebay. Here you see some Germans in a modified three wheeler Rickshaw and the second pic is a my-called "nanha" version of Rickshaw seen on the streets of Lahore.



Well, it doesnt end here. You can find stamps of countries appreciating the man-driven cycle Rickshaws and auto rickshaws. You can even find street signs about Rickshaws !



But here is the best part.. you can even get married in an Auto Rickshaw ! Like the UK firm which rents Rickshaw says,

Starcarhire wrote:

Arrive in true exotic style in your very own Tuk Tuk or Auto Rickshaw. Feel the breeze and experience the freedom of riding this fantastic vehicle which enjoys legendary status throughout Asia. Top speed 40 mph with room for 2/3 in the back.

Added May 11, 2006: I recently found some great exciting and some really hilarious images of Rickshaw. This album I must say is very comprehensive in covering all aspects of Rickshaw. You must see it yourself to find out the excitement. Visit The Rickshaw Album by Owais and Sana. I am including three images from the album to appreciate their efforts. The caption of first picture says, "Go Supersonic".



Some things never fail to amuse me ..

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