I have come across rail engine hauling long line of compartments. I have also heard about trucks with trailers. But few years back I had an experience of watching Thela train with a guard when I went out for an early morning walk in a Central India city.
This happened at a place called Bhopal, which is also called city of lakes. Bhopal is a peaceful and beautiful city to live in. Though it is a state capital, it is a bit of slow and sleepy city, a pensioner's paradise, as it is not the commercial capital of that state.
According to Wikipedia, the modern Bhopal city was established by Dost Mohammad Khan (1672–1728), a Pashtun soldier in the Mughal army. After the death of the emperor Aurangzeb, Khan started providing mercenary services to local chieftains in the politically unstable Malwa region.
In 1709, he took on the lease of Berasia estate and later annexed several territories in the region to establish the Bhopal State. Khan received the territory of Bhopal from the Gond queen Kamlapati in lieu of payment for mercenary services and usurped her kingdom after her death.
Bhopal became a princely state after signing a treaty with the British East India Company in 1818. Between 1819 and 1926, the state was ruled by four women, Begums — unique in the royalty of those days — under British suzerainty.
In 1926, Begum abdicated in favor of her son, Hamidullah Khan, who ruled until 1947, and was the last of the sovereign Nawabs. The rule of Begums gave the city its waterworks, railways, a postal system, and a municipality constituted in 1907.
The Nawab signed the agreement for Bhopal's merger with the Union of India on 30 April 1949.The Bhopal state was taken over by the Union Government of India on 1 June 1949.
In early December 1984, a Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal leaked around 32 tons of toxic gases, including methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas which led to the worst industrial disaster in the world to date.
Coming back to Thela, the Thela is nothing but a cart that hawkers use to keep and display their ware for sale. This Thela Train seems to be unique to Bhopal, as I have not seen it elsewhere so far.
The hawkers need to push their Thelas to different market on different days. They have found the solution to take the Thelas to different markets on different days through this jugad.
The Thela train goes to different market each day for a small fee from the hawker. It is pulled by a tractor. Generally one can see it early in the morning between 730 am to 830 am. One can see guard sitting on the last Thela.
One of the old Bhopal old timer told me that in the olden days bullock cart use to pull such Thela trains.
This happened at a place called Bhopal, which is also called city of lakes. Bhopal is a peaceful and beautiful city to live in. Though it is a state capital, it is a bit of slow and sleepy city, a pensioner's paradise, as it is not the commercial capital of that state.
According to Wikipedia, the modern Bhopal city was established by Dost Mohammad Khan (1672–1728), a Pashtun soldier in the Mughal army. After the death of the emperor Aurangzeb, Khan started providing mercenary services to local chieftains in the politically unstable Malwa region.
In 1709, he took on the lease of Berasia estate and later annexed several territories in the region to establish the Bhopal State. Khan received the territory of Bhopal from the Gond queen Kamlapati in lieu of payment for mercenary services and usurped her kingdom after her death.
Bhopal became a princely state after signing a treaty with the British East India Company in 1818. Between 1819 and 1926, the state was ruled by four women, Begums — unique in the royalty of those days — under British suzerainty.
In 1926, Begum abdicated in favor of her son, Hamidullah Khan, who ruled until 1947, and was the last of the sovereign Nawabs. The rule of Begums gave the city its waterworks, railways, a postal system, and a municipality constituted in 1907.
The Nawab signed the agreement for Bhopal's merger with the Union of India on 30 April 1949.The Bhopal state was taken over by the Union Government of India on 1 June 1949.
In early December 1984, a Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal leaked around 32 tons of toxic gases, including methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas which led to the worst industrial disaster in the world to date.
Coming back to Thela, the Thela is nothing but a cart that hawkers use to keep and display their ware for sale. This Thela Train seems to be unique to Bhopal, as I have not seen it elsewhere so far.
The hawkers need to push their Thelas to different market on different days. They have found the solution to take the Thelas to different markets on different days through this jugad.
The Thela train goes to different market each day for a small fee from the hawker. It is pulled by a tractor. Generally one can see it early in the morning between 730 am to 830 am. One can see guard sitting on the last Thela.
One of the old Bhopal old timer told me that in the olden days bullock cart use to pull such Thela trains.
