The thickly laid tar on the Manaveeyam Veedhi is not used to the movement of anything other than motorised vehicles. On Sunday, the land beneath felt familiar movements from another era as a bullock cart rolled in from the Vellayambalam side, accompanied by cheers of “bullock cart is coming” by a group of children.
The event was organised by Malayalam Pallikkoodam with familiarise the younger generation with bullock carts. For many, this was the first encounter with bullock carts in their life. Hitherto, they were only familiar with the faded black and white images of carts in their textbooks.
Much before the cart arrived, the students had gathered at a corner on the Manaveeyam Veedhi. They were taught songs to be sung during the cart ride. A short class on the history of carts was given and different types of carts, including ‘villu vandis’ and types of bulls, were introduced to them.
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The first batch of children got on to the cart, one by one, some in all excitement while some others a little apprehensive. The cart man asked them to move to the front to balance weight. Film-maker Lenin Rajendran flagged off the first ride. As the cart started moving, a few among them started singing in a low voice. With the ride progressing, the spirits soared and all of them sang loudly in unison, the songs of the bullock cart.