TRACTOR

Imagine pouring “Noni Ghee”/ butter on the tires of your car rather than using grease. Must be thinking that only rich brat can do that. But it was an auspicious ritual for the people of farukhnagar 40 years ago. Bullock cart used to be the palanquin of the brides leaving their village and moving to their husband’s home. At the time of farewell, old women used to pour butter and water on the tires of bullock cart so that it can make the couple’s journey smooth by functioning properly. Grease was not even known at that time. As time changed palanquin changed from bullock or camel cart to tractor and tractor to cars. But this ritual remains. Rather than butter, today water is poured in front of the bride’s car at the time of valediction. Talking about this ritual Saroj Yadav a woman in her 60s tells that her palanquin was a tractor. It was her mother in law who came in bullock cart and today her daughter in law Anupama came in Honda City. According to her tractor in 1960s was a “symbol status”. Those who own a tractor were considered to be the big shots. It was the “HMT” brand which was famous for tractors. She recalls how many times fight broke out between couples when wife objected to her husband’s desire of buying a tractor out of craze despite of immense debt on their family. It became a mania among men. On its arrival, ladies used to perform special rites for its longevity and had various songs which were sung collectively in its praise. Owning a tractor was definitely a big deal but maintaining a tractor was another difficult task. Till 60s farukhnagar didn’t even had a workshop to repair tractors. If tractor got conk out in the middle of the field then one has to rush all the way to Gurgaon. She still remembers how her uncle took the tractor tyres in bullock cart to Gurgaon when they got punctured while irrigating the fields.