Horse power

My next vehicle is going to be a horse.I have shelved all plans of buying an SUV or sedan and have settled for the good breed. Not that I am being regressive when it comes to city transport, but I discovered the usefulness of the animal on Delhi's choked roads.



It was on Dusshera eve that we decided to take a tour of the Puja pandals at CR Park. We zipped along fine till IIT and then hit the monster traffic jam. A horse, most probably returning from a wedding, was trotting way behind us. But as we slowed down and then came to a frustrating standstill amid a wall of honking cars, autos and two-wheelers, the horse skillfully zigzagged through the traffic.

In a minute, the sure-footed animal had covered an entire mass of metal and wheels and within five minutes, all we could see was the bobbing head of its master, who proudly looked above and beyond the angry snarl; safely above the fatal carbon monoxide cloud. And at no extra cost! While we mere mortals sat cooped up in our cars, air-conditioners running because we were below the pollution cloud, and fuel burning. Tempers rising.

And since we're talking about four-legged fantasies, there are more options. For instance, buffalo herds often act as traffic cops, stopping and redirecting peak office-hour rush at Rajnigandha Chowk in Noida, lazy elephants hold up commuters for hours at Janpath, and an odd camel or two do the honours along Ring Road.

So why don't we just ride them?

The gist of the story:

A horse is better than a car in Delhi because:
>>It can negotiate traffic jams.
>>Isn't affected by the petroleum ministry's whims.
>>No red, yellow, green lights.
>>Even the mamu can't challan it.
>>Helps in weight loss (proven).
>>And naturopaths say a horse ride is therapeutic.

Jayita Bandyopadhyay is News Editor with MiD DAY Delhi