PAKİSTAN - ART ON THE ROAD.

Pakistani transport is perhaps the most colorful in the world and deserves a posting of its own. In no other place would someone think of having a whole article on trucks and buses. In Pakistan you do. 

Almost every country in the world has a distinctive art form that reminds the people the world over of its unique style, heritage and culture such as the matadors of Spain, the gondolas of Venice or the Eiffel Tower of Paris. If I were to name a piece of art that best represents the vibrancy of Pakistan and its people, truck art would first come to my mind. Nowhere is Pakistan's rich heritage showcased as succinctly as on cargo trucks that ply the length and breath of the country. They pollute the roads and chug along at a snail's pace but they are at the same time moving works of art. 

Truck art has its origins dating back to the 1920's when Bedford trucks imported from England invaded the country's streets. They were fitted with large wooden prows on top of the truck, known as ''taj'', or crown. The ornate prow was also accompanied by decorative bumpers and wood paneling along the cabin. 

In the 1940's, when trucks began long-haul journeys to deliver goods, each company designed a logo so that illiterate people would understand who owned the truck. 
In the 1950's Hajji Hussain, an artist known for his elaborate palace frescoes, settled in Karachi. Lacking palaces to paint, he turned to decorating trucks, and his ornate style pushed the genre forward in the whole country. In the 1970's, this indigenous art form became known in Europe and America when tourists took back the photographs they had taken on the roads of Pakistan.  

There is a definite pattern to the chaos of the colorful mass that is moving in the traffic. The Taj, in the front of the truck, is often used for the representation of the sacred , hence paintings of mosques and religious calligraphy.  The sides can be adorned with anything from animals to waterfalls and depend entirely on the desire of the owner. The back features floral designs or writing along with one huge portrait or mosaic. The image embodies a wide range of themes, including landscapes, celebrities, beautiful women, mythical creatures, religious imagery or national heroes.  İt is said that the drivers of Khyber, Mohmand and other tribal regions like flowers on their vehicles. The people of Swat, South Waziristan and Kashmir like portraits of mountains and different wild animals. As such, the paintings, often coupled with lines of poetry, religious calligraphy or common phrases, represent the truck owner's identity and regional background. 

Most of the trucks have their old rusty doors replaced with wooden ones. And all the doors with intricate patterns are hand-carved and then hand-painted in glossy patterns and colors.  Amazing.

This kaleidoscopic exhibition is not only a visual treat but also delivers another sensory input. The chains, pendants and other decorated pieces of metal dangling from the bumpers of the trucks clang together when the vehicle is in motion. This serves as a music to break the monotony of long freight journeys and is a characteristic sound of the Pakistani truck. This sound has earned it the nickname ''Jingle Trucks''. 

The driver cabins are as decorated as the outside of the truck and some details are amazing. 

A REAR VIEW MİRROR

One should not think that only truck drivers and owners decorate their vehicles. Of course not. Buses are decorated as well. 

And as if everything is not enough, rickshaws ,motorcycles and even the golf cart at my hotel also follow the same trend.  

THİS ONE KİND OF OVERDİD İT, I THİNK. 

THE WHEELS OF THE RİCKSHAW. WOW.....

THE FLOWERY MOTORCYCLE 

AND THE HOTEL GOLF CART. 

On my 2016 trip to Pakistan  taking us to Hunza, Gilgit and then Chitral and the Kalash people (previous post) , we decided to stay one day in Islamabad to rest (the plane arrives at 5:00 in the morning) but more so to take the afternoon to drive to Rawalpindi and visit the one place where no tourist, and especially not three women, has ever gone : the workshops where trucks are painted .

 İt was an amazing experience. 

READY AND WAİTİNG TO BE DECORATED

READY AS WELL

THE WOODEN DOOR HAS BEEN PUT BUT THE DECORATİON İS NOT YET FİNİSHED. 

Here are some models you can chose from. Really each one is a work of art that turns decades-old vehicles into moving murals. And it is done by artists with no formal art school training and sometimes no education at all. 

DO YOU LİKE FİSH ?

SOME GO EVEN FURTHER BY HAVİNG THE İNTERİOR OF THE TRUNK PAİNTED. 

WORK İN PROGRESS. 

I WONDER WHAT MORE HE WANTS TO ADD.

It seems truck art is an enormous industry in Pakistan since only in Karachi 50.000 people are employed in workshops dedicated to the craft, with truck owners willing to spend big money to ensure their truck is better than the rest. One can easily spend up to USD 2.500 - two years salary of a driver -  for a very basic paint job. And touch ups will be needed every few years to keep things fresh. İt is said truckers do not even spend that kind of money on their houses but as they put their life and livelihood into the truck, the machine is much more important to them and should be honored with a proper paint job. 

As a matter of fact, Pakistan's truck art is about history, culture, tradition, story-telling, politics, passion, love and many things more. These are moving canvasses covered in poetry, folk tales, religious and emotional world views of the simple people of Pakistan , making it one of the biggest representational art in the world. A vibrant folk art is on the road.