Traditional bullock carts in greater Laksam facing extinction
Moshiur Rahman Selim, Cumilla South
Once the quintessential mode of transport for passenger travel and cargo movement across Lalmai, Nangalkot, and Monoharganj upazilas in greater Laksam, the traditional bullock cart—goru gari—has now vanished into history.
For centuries, bullock carts were an indispensable part of rural life in the region. However, the advent of modern technology, mechanized tillers, tractors, and pickups has pushed this traditional transport into extinction.
Historically, bustling trading hubs like Daulatganj North Bazar in Laksam, alongside areas near the Noakhali railway line, would be lined with bullock carts. They served as the primary transit medium for rural folk, and driving them was a viable livelihood even for affluent families in earlier generations.
According to descendants of former cart owners, these two-wheeled wooden vehicles were pulled by pairs of oxen or bulls harnessed to thick wooden yokes and long bamboo poles. Drivers would sit with long thin switches in hand while passengers or goods were loaded in the back. During the rainy season, covered canopies protected the cargo and passengers. Bullock carts were also essential for carrying bridal parties to weddings, inspiring numerous folk songs, poems, and jari songs such as "O ki gariyal bhai" or "Aste calao gari."
Today, searching for months across the region would yield no trace of a working bullock cart, leaving the younger generation in both towns and villages entirely unfamiliar with the vehicle that once defined rural Bengal's heritage.
