Lucknow, Dec 2 (ANI): The horse cart race or the ‘tonga race’ hogged the limelight at the ongoing annual Lucknow Mahotsav at the City of Nawabs on Sunday.

Lucknow, known for its legendary royalty, relived the memories of the era of Nawabs by playing a perfect host at the heritage festival that is primarily a music and dance extravaganza.

“We have many events in Lucknow like pigeon flying, kite flying and horse cart races. These events have been a part of our culture and tradition since time immemorial. This particular horse cart race, which is a part of the Lucknow Mahotsav (annual festival), is being organized by the Municipal authorities,” said Dinesh Sharma, Mayor of Lucknow.

Tonga pullers, beautified horses and hundreds to cheer made the race a pleasurable moment.

“I knew that my horse would win. I have been waiting for this day since the last one month. I had been taking good care of my horse and I was confident that it would win,” said Bikha, the winner of the cart race.

Besides participating in the competition, the tonga pullers also got a space at the festival to exhibit the disappearing mode of transportation.

“This horse cart race is one of its kind and we are proud of it. These days, tongas (horse carts) are not popular but this race helps the tonga owners to exhibit their carriages. On this pretext, we at least get a chance to bring out our carts and mend them. Also, the visiting tourists enjoy this a lot,” said Rabeed Khureshi, a horse cart owner.

The festival is a ten-day long event, which aims at promoting the place as a popular tourist destination.
Locals feel that the tradition of celebrating this annual Lucknow festival should be encouraged as a celebration of the centuries old heritage and culture of this enchanting city. (ANI)