Horse owners, lensmen face survival crisis in Shimla, Kufri

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 7

‘Ghodewalas’, as the horse owners here are popularly called, have been hit hard by the Covid outbreak. Horseback riding is very popular among both local people and tourists. With the peak tourist season lost to the lockdown, they have been left with zero income and huge liabilities.

“We used to do reasonably good business during the tourist season (May 15 to July 15), earning Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,400 per day, on The Ridge and make up for the lean season. But the coronavirus outbreak has virtually crippled us and the hopes of normalcy in the near future are very bleak,” says Mushtaq, a horse owner.

“Most of us are under matric without any other means of livelihood. Besides meeting the daily needs, the burden of expenses, such as school fee of children and feed of the horse (Rs 200-250 per day), are unaffordable. An NGO had given us ration and feed for the horse, but still making both ends meet is a challenge,” he adds.

Most of these ‘ghodewalas’ are from Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Mandi. They are living in makeshift and small rented accommodations at Longwood, below the bus stand and Ghora Chauki.

The situation in the famous tourist resort of Kufri is no different as nearly 500 locals hailing from nearby villages were surviving on income through horse-riding, but the place is wearing a deserted look these days with hardly any tourists or vehicles.

The worst hit are the ones who purchased horses last year by raising loans. Income has dried up and the repayment of loan has become impossible, says Sohan Singh Thakur, president of the Paryatan Ashv Malik Sudhar Sabha.

The government is providing essential commodities to the poor, but feeding horses has become a tough task. With no grass available in forests, horse owners are finding it difficult to feed the animals. There are 1,030 registered horses in Kufri.

The fate of outdoor photographers, who have an unspoken tie-up with horse owners as there is a craze among tourists to get clicked while mounting the horse, is also in dark. The tourists love getting clicked in ‘pahari’ dresses and treasure these memories, but Covid-19 has scared the tourists and locals alike.

“We (about 100 persons) were already in stress as the business was on a decline following mobile photography, but Covid-19 has come as the final nail in the coffin,” says Arun Kumar Sharma, president of the Himachal Pradesh Outdoor Photographer Worker Association.

“The meagre money available with us has been spent in sustaining our families during the lockdown. We have urged Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to provide financial assistance and alternate avenues for employment,” he said.

Tough times

• Most of the horse owners are from Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Mandi. They are living in makeshift and small rented accommodations at Longwood, below the bus stand and Ghora Chauki
• The situation in Kufri is no different as nearly 500 locals hailing from nearby villages were surviving on income through horse-riding
• The fate of outdoor photographers, who have an unspoken tie-up with horse owners as there is a craze among tourists to get the clicks while mounting the horse, is also in dark