Tom-Tom (horse cart) is a vehicle with a long history in Dhaka City. It’s linked with the emergence of Dhaka city when the Mughals made this vehicle popular, Originally its use was limited to the elite class, like the rickshaw, but now it is widely used for weddings and by students celebrating graduation or some other significant event. In modern Dhaka, with the dominance of taxi, CNG, auto rickshaw and rickshaw, the horse cart has become redundant as a form of public transport and the number operating in Dhaka is much reduced. Nevertheless the Tom Tom is highly valued by Dhakarites . Today they can mostly be found on the roads around Gulistan and Sadarghat.
For the special occasion like marriage, political campaigns and student graduations people rent the Tom Tom and decorate the cart with flowers, balloons, and posters. The carts are festooned with decorations and make a charming sight attracting the attention of the people of Dhaka.
The attached video shows us riding on a Tom Tom hired in Old Dhaka on 27 June 2009. The video shows street scenes along the route taken from Gulistan to Gulshan Avenue. The trip covered places like Gulistan, Polton, Bijoy Nagor, Kakrail, Ballyroad, Malibag, Mouchak, West Hajipara, Rampura, South Badda, Middle Badda, North Badda, Baridhara, and Gulshan Avenue.
The Tom Tom is an old vehicle that embodies the historical value of Dhaka City. Using one is an act of nostalgia for the past.