[Goanet] Days of the bullock cart in Goa....Tony Fernandes.
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[Goanet] Days of the bullock cart in Goa
Soon after World War 11 in 1946 when my father came to Goa on long leave from E. Africa, he took me along to Bardez with a few belongings of a friend of his who had died during the war, to be delivered to his family members in Parra. Our gracious hosts arranged for a boilam gaddi complete with enclosure and seats inside to take us to his another friend's family house. I am not sure whether it was in Arpora or Calangute. It was for the first and the last time I had a boilam gaddi ride. Bardezcars were first to emigrate and they were also first Goans to be exposed to English language. In all other respects too they were a generation or two ahead of Sashtikars. In Salcete too we had boilam gaddi but they were used to carry goods but not as passenger carriers. Sashtikars were used to caminhao/carrieras, horse tongas and railway trains. Antonio
[Goanet] DAYS OF THE BULLOCK CART IN GOA
In response to: Message: 9 Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2009 22:46:43 -0400 From: "Tony Fernandes" http://f5mail.rediff.com/bn/compose.cgi?login=freddyagnelo&session_id=5L23PK1KT KhAWPRjRgm37a8nAiDU2O81&FormName=mail_to_individual&email=tonfe...@hotmail.com> > Subject: [Goanet] DAYS OF THE BULLOCK CART IN GOA Wonderful article Tony, Brought back those wonderful memories, though we may have had one or two in our area during my young days, there were plenty in Margao, we would mostly hitch a ride from Loyola, down to our football ground near the railways gate at Comba, during my days at the Loyola boarding, I can still sense the big wheels squeaking down the slope and the ring of the bells tied round the necks of the bulls and the rickety rocking ride down the slope, it was just for fun, that we hopped on to the "gaddo", though we would reach faster running down the slope. I know a person from Margao police quarters who worked in Abu Dhabi, rode on a well decorated "gaddo" right upto the Grace Church in Margao, for his nuptials along with his very reluctant bestman, it was the weirdest thing I had ever seen, his bride to be and the in-laws were shocked and speechless, he did not tell anyone, his plans to use the "gaddo" instead of a car. This was somewhere in the mid 90, the moment he entered the Church compound there was a pin drop silence for a moment and then roar of laughter, it was fun. I still do admire his guts for the class act and it's all on his wedding tape, hope he has preserved it for his future generations !! For a good number of years I haven't seen one in Margao or our village. BTW Ignatius, I don't think they used cashew seed sap, because the smell of sap is very distinct most probably it was grease that was used. Freddy Agnelo Fernandes The content of this electronic communication is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom it is addressed and any others who are specifically authorized to receive it. It may contain confidential or legally privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or otherwise placing reliance on the contents of this information is prohibited and may be unlawful in certain legal jurisdictions. If you have received this communication in error please notify the sender immediately by responding to this email and then delete it from your system. __ This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System. For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email __
Re: [Goanet] DAYS OF THE BULLOCK CART IN GOA
Tony, your detailed technical description of the bullock cart in Goa was very impressive. It must remain the standard and referenced reading whenever the Goan bullock cart is revisited by anyone. Ibid Tony Fernandes re bullock cart in Goa, ref Goanet and Goanet Reader Library of Congress catalog 145325412 context Goa, India, bullock cart. Roland. On Sun, Mar 22, 2009 at 10:46 PM, Tony Fernandes wrote: > DAYS OF THE GOAN BULLOCK CART > by Tony Fernandes > The 'gaddo' is a 2-wheeled carriage drawn by trained bullocks commonly used > in Goa > till today. It is constructed fully from wood. Its fastest travelling speed > could be > compared to the usual leisurely walk of a steer.
[Goanet] DAYS OF THE BULLOCK CART IN GOA
DAYS OF THE GOAN BULLOCK CART by Tony Fernandes The 'gaddo' is a 2-wheeled carriage drawn by trained bullocks commonly used in Goa till today. It is constructed fully from wood. Its fastest travelling speed could be compared to the usual leisurely walk of a steer. My earliest memorable experience in travelling on this sort of conveyance was when I was young, hitching a ride on my way home from school. This type of carts were privately-owned and almost every village had one or two. The two large iron-rimmed square wooden-spoked wheels serve a dual purpose - as fly-wheels and riding wheels combined, giving the cart the needed momentum. It seems it is effortless for the bulls to haul these carts once they get rolling. These carts are used to transport a gamut of goods from firewood, furniture and laterite stones to roof tiles, sacks of paddy, coconuts and lumber. Quite often we can see a few school kids getting a free ride home just for the fun of it in the villages. Among my earliest memories in witnessing something valuable delivered to our house by this versatile cart was in the early nineteen sixties. The furniture it carried was a wooden cupboard or almirah (almar in colloquial Konkani) with a full length mirror, chairs and a folding dining table that my father had purchased from the huge annual fair held at the feast of Nossa Senhora de Milagres in Mapusa. This sort of a cart was also used by the 'gaddekar' from Nagoa, Bardez, who plied through the villages at dawn selling salt just before the onset of the monsoon season, with his high-pitched and very distinguished call: 'Hey Mitt'. One of the most audible continuous sound that emanated from it was the crunchy and grinding noise produced by the turning of its wheels, and its most outstanding visible feature was the huge pair of wheels. And of course, I can still recall its unforgettable and discernible trademark - its peculiar musty odour. These flat-bed carts provided a cheaper means of transportation of goods and other provisions such as the ones mentioned above. They did not have any springs for suspension - hence the ride was bumpy. The fixed rigid axle consisted of approx. 6 in x 6in wooden beam with a track width of about 6 feet, and was fitted to the underside of the flat-bed made up of butt-jointed wood slats and side beam fitted with side-rails. A canvas or hessian bag slung over the outside of these siding would hold the drivers personal belongings, and of course his lunch tiffin. Often a bucket and a net containing hay was tied to the longitudinal beam. The wheels were of about 6 ft. dia. with large hubs (around 12" dia.) and iron rims (about 2-1/2" wide). The fully timber-crafted wheels were locked or stopped on the outer edge by means of drop-pins into well-greased axle ends. The outer iron rims were 'shrink-fitted'* to the wooden wheel that comprised of the assembly with 12 wooden spokes, hub and the wheel segments that made up the entire wheel itself. During the rainy season an arch-shaped high covering would be fitted over the cart in order to provide protection for the safe transportation of merchandise or goods. The front end consisted of a double bow yoke that was placed on top of the longitudinal single centre-piece that ran along the full length of the cart itself, forming a cross at the head. The yoke was fastened to the longitudinal beam by means of a rope thereby giving it the flexibility of pivoting it to some degree, and giving it a marginal swivel action between the pair of bullocks. This feature aided tight turns. The yoke was harnessed over their necks in order to pull the carriage. The centre-piece curved and extended downward at the front so that, without the bulls, the cart would rest at a least possible slant. Braking on these carts was unique, provided by a cleverly designed device. It consisted of two wooden poles, fitted parallel across the front and back of the wheels. They were connected into an intricate double acting trapezoidal contrivance of ropes. This device was in turn connected by a longer rope from the rear to the front. The master of the cart perched himself sideways on the longitudinal beam whenever the cart carried a full load, whereas when empty he made himself comfortable on the front edge of the flat-bed. The driver himself acted like a mechanical master cylinder - and by means of applying pressure on this rope with his leg or some his whole body weight he would be able to slow down the cart, while going downward on a slope or bring it to a stop in an emergency. This was achieved by the action of the parallel wooden poles pressing against the outer iron rims of the wheels. These wooden poles that acted as 'brakes' were slightly flattened at the point where they came in contact with the outer iron rims of the wheels. In overall action the whole system resembled the opposite of caliper drum brakes of the pr
