Truck art in Pakistan

Art on Suzuki
Customised bus in Pakistan

Truck painting is a popular form of indigenous art in Pakistan and featuring floral patterns and poetic calligraphy.[1] Truck painting is also practiced in other South Asian countries.

General practice of truck decor

Customised truck in Pakistan
The Karachi Tram in Melbourne, Australia during the 2006 Commonwealth Games

Many trucks and buses in Pakistan are highly customized and decorated by their owners and are commonly known as jingle trucks. External truck decoration can cost from $3,000 to $5,000.[2] Decoration may include structural changes, paintings, calligraphy, and ornamental decor like mirror work on the front and back of vehicles and wooden carvings on the truck doors. Depictions of various historical scenes and poetic verses is also common.[3] Outfitting is often completed at a coach workshop.[4]

Decor style of major regions

Karachi is a major city center for truck art, though there are other hubs in Rawalpindi, Swat, Peshawar, Quetta and Lahore. Trucks from Balochistan and Peshawar are often heavily trimmed with wood, while trucks from Rawalpindi and Islamabad often feature plastic work. Camel bone ornamentation is commonly seen in trucks decorated by artists from Sindh.[3]

See also

A public transport bus in El Gouna, Egypt customised and highly decorated in genuine Pakistani style

References

  1. ↑ Mughal, Owais (June 18, 2008). "Pakistan’s Indigenous Art of Truck Painting". All Things Pakistan. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  2. ↑ Elias, Jamal (2005). "On Wings of Diesel: The Decorated Trucks of Pakistan". Amherst Magazine. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Covington, Richard (Spring 2005). "Masterpieces to Go: The Trucks of Pakistan". Saudi Aramco World. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  4. ↑ Nyland, Tim (October 19, 2006). "The Painted Trucks of Pakistan". Penn Current. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved February 10, 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Art on Suzuki Pickup.
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  1. Pictures of decorated Pakistani trucks