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GVK

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Buggy ride, bus-top sight-seeing in Mysore
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A File photo of the topless bus, published in The Hindu.


 Dasara this time will have an added attraction for visitors. They can glimpse the Mysore views from atop a topless double-decker that would cruise round the city’s landmarks - the palace, the zoo, the town hall, the Lake, the rail museum and more. The whistle stop bus tour, starting Sept.20, is planned for an hour, point to point. But tourists can get off the bus anywhere on way, to take in a particular site at a leisurely pace; and hop on the next bus, if they hold a day-pass for the open-top ride. The sight-seeing service is being brought to the city by Concept Tree Creations, which launched such service - City Swaps - in Bangalore recently.


Cool? Not quite, perhaps, for those who prefer a royal take on the Mysore sights. They can hire an exclusive buggy. The Mysore Heritage Centre tourism Institute has plans to press into service 10 horse buggies to take tourists on a heritage ride. The Mysore centre’s trustee, Mr Madhukar G Appaji,  is reported to have told The Hindu that the focus of the buggy concept was on community involvement in the revival of the buggy heritage. And Mr Appaji says a strategy for heritage tourism has been drawn up in association with INTECH and the IBM Centre of Social Enterprise. Mr Krishna Vattam of INTECH said the buggy rides were tried out last year too.


But then it was a 10-day wonder. And the buggies (not the horses) went back to the museum, waiting for Dasara-2006. Not all buggies, maybe. The last time I went to Lalithamahal Palace I noticed a buggy parked near the portico, for the benefit of hotel guests who fancy a buggy ride round the parking lot. Tariff: Rs.50


Speaking of community involvement, Mr Appaji could consider heritage walks. The idea, floated on this site, evoked enthusiasm from a few individuals. A local history exponent, Dr Javeed Nayeem, has even charted out a few theme-specific heritage routes that Mr Appaji’s institute should look into for making a start during Dasara. We have Mr Vattam’s word, again, that the walks were also done last year. What one would like to see, Mr Vattam and Mr Appaji, is a programme for year-round weekend walks, planned out with the likes of Mr Gouri Satya, Mr K R Dinakar and a host of individuals who chipped in their thoughts when we raised the question: Heritage Walks: Would it Work in Mysore ?


 


A question for Concept Tree Creations: Would the bus-top sightseeing survive this Dasara?  Could one spot the City Swap buses on city roads after the festivities are over ?     


 


 



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Dr.KJN

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The buggy shown in the picture and which is an example of the ones likely to be intriduced for 'Mysore Darshan" this Dasara is one of the many that are plying on the roads of Bangalore right now for 'Bangalore Darshan". They seem to be pretty unpopular with the tourists going by the always nearly empty sight they present with hardly half a dozen tourists occupying the nearly fifty seats provided therein. Whether this speaks of the lack of enough tourist attractions in bangalore to justify the high cost of the ride of whether it is the innate apprehensions of our visitors about being "taken for a ride" as it often happens in our country is something that has to be looked into. Who knows? They may become popular here in Mysore considering the fact that we certainly have some sights that are worth seeing as compared to our capital city.

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GVK

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A point there, Dr.KJN.  Media mentions a proposed tariff of Rs.200 for the one-hour ride round Mysore. Which is stiff. 

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Gouri Satya

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Hear horse hooves on Mysore`s roads



Horse-drawn carriages set to make a comeback



Gouri Satya / Chennai/ Mysore September 08, 2006









The Mysore maharajas had a good collection of horse-drawn carriages, from the ordinary yellow colour mail carriage to the best Victorian coaches with good suspensions.

 

The maharajas used them for rides through Mysore’s roads and during the Dasara. For the common man, there were the tongas. A few tongas are still seen on the roads of Mysore, a dying mode of transport. It is set to get a new lease of life as a tourist attraction during Dasara.

 

Even today sitting in a buggy, a lightweight harse-drawn carriage, can be a romantic experience in this historical city.

 

A voluntary organisation, MGM Foundation Trust plans to revive the nostalgic era in Mysore. In association with Intech IBM and Centre for Social Enterprise, it has brought a fresh lease of life to the city’s old and dying tradition of tongas and horse-drawn carriages.

 

To be initiated under the banner of the Mysore Heritage Centre Tourism Institute, the project has been approved by the tourism department, Government of Karnataka. It has shown interest to showcase the range of horse buggies from all over the world.

 

These shows and rides will be open to public use after the formal procession, during the 10-day Dasara celebrations, says Mysore Heritage Centre Trustee Madhukar G Appaji.

 

“Shah pasands,” “tongas” and “jatakas” — a contribution by the Muslim rulers to the then mode of transport — operated in Mysore, Bangalore and Srirangapattana. With the coming of European power on Indian soil, horse-carriages made their appearance and they were mostly used by the top administrators like the British officers and the Maharajas.

 

These coaches, both military and privately-owned provided integral lines of services during the British expansion between Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.

 

Madhukar says the speed of Bangalore's traffic is down to 18 km/hr. Mysore will soon catch up, if traffic congestion does not ease and eco-friendly transport is not encouraged.”

 

“If we do not bring back horse transport now, we will have to bring nuclear energy-powered buses and autos for the remaining part of the century. Let’s make a wise choice, a better choice for this planet and the best choice for our children,” he adds.

http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c.php?leftnm=10&autono=104032



 

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