For the past two years, Sanjay, a silauta (grinding stone) businessman of Parwanipur, has been taking care of a horse called Raja after the animal broke his leg.[break]
“Raja survives on simple food,” Sanjay said. He added that the horse used to pull carts in Birgunj for two years. “Back then, he had a different charm,” he said.
“He used to be festooned in a kalki (a kind of head ornament) and a rainbow colored flag.”
When he could not compete with the escalating number of vehicles on the road, Sanjay bought Raja from his original owner.
“When he used to be an energetic animal, he fed on grams daily,” he added, “Now he feeds on rice flour and yet works hard.”
According to him, Raja lost his ability to walk because he was made to carry a load more than he could pull. “He could walk properly while carrying an average amount of load, but one day his weak legs had to carry a heavy burden,” recalled Sanjay.
Sanjay doesn’t take care of Raja alone. Parwana, the other horse, which also belongs to him, has a broken back. He got the horse free of cost.
“Cart owners abandon weak horses,” Sanjay informed. However, he provides his horses with light work and feeds them. “No matter how weak a horse may be, it’s always ready to carry loads,” he shared his experience.
Most of the silauta businessmen of Badhae community own a lame horse.
“This horse of mine is named Diwana,” revealed Sushil Mistri. “Its legs are weak.”
Mistri added, “We’re always in search of lame horses because healthy horses are too expensive to buy,” he informed.
The horses are used for carrying stones. “And for that, they get food to live,” Sushil said. He has provided a roof to weak horses from different places.
With a laugh, Sushil expressed, “Yes, we own many horses but we aren’t rich.”
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