Wheels over the Valley

Once upon a time, the sound of hooves was the heartbeat of Kashmir’s streets.

The tanga — a horse-drawn carriage — clip-clopped gracefully through narrow lanes, carrying families, traders, and newlyweds wrapped in laughter and conversation. Children ran alongside, waving at the tangawalla who often knew every passenger by name.

And beyond the roads, another rhythm floated across the waters of Dal Lake — the glide of the Shikara. With its bright canopy and slow sway, it wasn’t just a boat; it was a bridge between lives. From ferrying goods to carrying stories, the shikara mirrored Kashmir’s calm spirit.

But those sounds — of hooves and oars — are fading now. The tanga rests in forgotten corners, its wheels stiff with time. The shikara still moves, but mostly for tourists chasing postcards, not people chasing destinations. This age old story is the same everywhere, where old technological regimes become obsolete and the voids left by their obsolescence is replaced by new technological innovations.

In the same vein, Kashmir’s transport has come a long way — from wooden wheels and oars to electric buses and trains. It’s a journey not just of technological obsolescence and innovation, but of emotion.

Back in the early 1900s, most Kashmiris walked long distances. A tanga ride was a luxury, and a shikara was lifeline transport, connecting communities through the river and lake. But as time rolled forward, the Valley welcomed engines and change. The shift from hoof to horsepower began.

The real transformation came in 1931, when the Kashmir Motor Drivers (KMD) launched the region’s first bus service. For decades, their colorful buses ruled the roads, connecting distant villages, bustling bazaars, and hearts. But by the 2000s, their engines grew quiet, replaced by smaller vehicles — minibuses, Sumos, and eventually e-rickshaws.

Change, they say, is inevitable. But in Kashmir, this change carries a special kind of nostalgia. The story of our transport is the story of our times: a tale of technological obsolescence and technological innovation walking hand in hand. These e-rickshaws and electric buses are the next chapter in Kashmir’s journey. They are signs of progress in faster, cleaner, and more efficient ways to move. From pony trails to paved Highways, Kashmir’s journey of transport reflects its story of novel persistent and inevitable change.

And yet, amid all this progress, there lingers a gentle nostalgia — for the tanga’s patience, the shikara’s grace. They remind us that speed isn’t everything; sometimes, movement is about  meaning.

The Shikaras still glide as they once did, but now alongside buses, bikes and dreams that travel faster than before.

It has always been about the journey, the sounds, the faces, the stories we carry along the way, every ride tells us who we were,  and who we are becoming.

Syed-un-Nissa, Hadiya Shafi Gani, Hena Kawser, Aberou Kababi and Misbah Farooq are currently pursuing 3 Semester of the FYUGP programme at the Centre for Design Your Degree, University of Kashmir. This article is informed by their course on ‘Science, Technology and Society’.