It has been a long day for Kankut the donkey, who has transported heavy goods to different destinations in the city. Standing inside his stable, Kankut munches on some grass and barley. He breathes heavily, but his owner, Kashi is still massaging his limbs. The day isn’t over for the duo — Kankut still has a race to run.

Kankut’s main competition tonight will be Shampoo, the reigning champion, who is owned by a well-off family. Shampoo has rested all day for the race, and as compared to Kankut’s modest diet, he was fed apples, carrots, almonds and raisins mixed with butter and milk. This diet, donkey breeders say, builds muscle strength. Shampoo’s owners spend between Rs800 and Rs1000 per day on feeding him; Kaashi, who cannot afford such lavishness for his donkey, spends around Rs250 to 300 per day.

Given the circumstances, it seems the deck is already stacked against Kankut.

Racing donkeys are usually not employed in labour or domestic work, as they cannot perform both tasks at the same time. But Kankut is an exception: he is a work animal as well as a racing animal. He is nearing retirement age, but he still has great stamina and courage. If Kashi is to be believed, he might defeat Shampoo too.

It is a common misconception that the sport of donkey cart racing in Karachi is merely restricted to the locality of Lyari.

Indeed, as many donkey cart racers will tell you, there is little doubt that the residents of Lyari were the originators of this sport in Karachi, but this obsession has penetrated the rest of the city as well as interior Sindh. Races are conducted every weekend in different areas, including Korangi, Mai Kolachi Bypass, Sohrab Goth, and Malir.

“Donkey cart racing has probably been a part of Karachi since before Partition,” says a former donkey cart racer, who has spent a major part of his life in Lyari. “This sport is as popular as football and boxing in Lyari, but now, there are probably thousands of racers across the city.”

Both Kankut and Shampoo are the same breed of donkeys: Irani. Considered to be the most preferred breed for racing purpose, Irani donkeys have small ears, small faces, thin legs, and a lean torso, which makes them extremely agile.

From the locality of Lyari, donkey racing in Karachi has spread to many other parts of the city

A donkey that puts its hind leg ahead of its fore leg, and has a white circle in the pupils of its eyes, is one that is likely to be a good runner. It is for this reason that another breed, the Makrani donkeys, is vastly used for racing purposes. Most racing donkeys are trained heavily; they are taken on long walks to increase their stamina, they are walked on damp, sandy surfaces too that help them build their leg muscle. Some cut open their donkey’s nostrils a bit to help them inhale more air.

The most expensive breed of donkeys is Sindhi, also called Laassi, as they are physically strong, their frame is bigger too, and are generally used for labour-intensive jobs. But they lack the stamina for serious racing; these Sindhi donkeys do race, but usually against the same breed.

Meanwhile, Kankut and Shampoo have reached the starting point of the race, Singer Chowrangi in Korangi. From here, the donkeys will race to the end of the Korangi bridge in Shah Faisal, a straight rode without any turns. Kankut is the underdog in this two-donkey contest, but he is expected to give a tough time to the champion.

Amidst the excitement of the race starting, many are now betting. Shampoo is the favourite to win, since he is the fastest with a top speed of 40km per hour. Most other donkeys, the organisers explain, reach a top speed of 35 to 38km per hour.

Both racers are now on the mark, each pulling a lightweight cart with them. The two judges mutter something and the jockeys start running their donkeys. The race has officially begun.

Amidst the cheers, Shampoo has overtaken Kankut as they reach Korangi Bridge. There are around 25 bikes behind the donkeys that are chanting and cheering for them, and also controlling the traffic. The police are not interrupting the race, the organisers say, as they have already been given their share. The government does not support these races, they claim, although races are organised by the authorities on the basis of districts every six to eight months.

The races that take place every weekend, such as this one, have a small winning prize, ranging from Rs2,000 to Rs5,000. The two chosen judges are neutral, and given the 10 per cent of the winning reward as a fee. The betting amount is much higher than the winning prize; it can total up to Rs7,000.

“We belong to the labour class, we cannot afford a higher winning prize,” Kashi had explained earlier in the day. Among the poor, the winning racing donkeys are rewarded more by spectators for having put up an inspiring show.

Both Kankut and Shampoo are the same breed of donkeys: Irani. Considered to be the most preferred breed for racing purpose, Irani donkeys have small ears, small faces, thin legs, and a lean torso, which makes them extremely agile.

In some races, the winning sum can go as high as Rs100,000 but only the well-off participate in those. These races are conducted once in a blue moon; donkey owners explain that “99.99 per cent” of these races are head-to-head contests, organised when one donkey owner challenges another to a race. Three donkeys running in a single race is an extremely rare sight.

In the distance, the sounds of the motorbikes and accompanying cheers grow louder. At the moment, Kankut is making Shampoo sweat to his teeth as the final stretch to the finish line approaches near.

That Kankut has been in the race this long is a miracle — he is nearing retirement age, as he is already 10 years old and not young enough to participate in races for too long. Shampoo, on the other hand, is at the peak of his career being a 5-year-old. Donkey owners explain that a donkey is an efficient runner when aged between two and 10 years.

With the donkeys now in sight, the jockeys pull out their race rattle (jhunjhuna) to make the donkey run faster. Knowing when the jockey should put pressure on the donkey is an art, as one cannot run their donkey at full throttle from the beginning since it will soon be out of breath. Finding the right time to accelerate is the key.

This is also why every rider cannot run every donkey. All donkeys are different, and riders need to understand their behaviour before they take them to a race. A donkey runs due to a fear of its master (irrespective of how much the master loves him).

“All donkeys are different souls; you need to understand them before running them,” explains Babu, the man who brought up Shampoo, was its caretaker, and has been involved in racing since the last decade or so. Babu is well known in Shah Faisal donkey cart racing circles. People approach him to conduct their races. He has been a racer himself and races occasionally now.

“If someone else tries to run a donkey, the donkey looks behind as if he is not afraid of the rider. This obviously adversely affects the donkey’s performance,” explains Babu.

In donkey cart racing, there also exists a fear of black magic. Many racers firmly believe that people around them cast a spell of black magic on their donkey, thereby making him slow in the race or encouraging the donkey to misbehave which becomes impossible to control.

On the other hand, veteran racers inject a drip called ‘New Star’ in their donkey’s neck to boosts its speed by two to three km/hour. Not every donkey can tolerate this dope; a donkey that is on an extremely healthy diet and is completely fit can only tolerate half the drip in one go. The drip makes the animal so restless that it only wants to run, and run hard. It is completely legal and anyone can use it.

The contest has become close now; around one kilometre is left and these are decisive moments. Shampoo accelerates a bit and leaves Kankut behind. But Kankut gathers pace too. At the end, Shampoo wins by just a fraction of a second. The crowd congratulates Shampoo’s rider and some even tap the donkey on its back. The rider too is shouting with joy.

In another corner, a dejected Kashi is still sitting on his small racing cart, surrounded by some supporters who buck him up for doing well. Shampoo’s supporters dance with joy on the road, but Kashi simply gets off the cart and kisses Kankut on the neck. Shampoo might have won again but Kankut made him work very hard.

Kashi and Kankut trudge home slowly — instead of a celebration, they must recuperate quickly for work tomorrow. Kashi detaches the racing cart and ties Kankut to a pole. He mixes Iodex and Vintogeno, puts the mixture on his beloved donkey’s legs, and bandages it. This will give Kankut some relief.

“It has already been an exhausting day for us,” says Kashi. “Tomorrow morning, its back to work and transporting goods.”

The writer tweets @ArslanShkh

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, June 14th, 2015

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