Vibrant truck art refuses to lose steam

TAXILA:

Computers and other automated machines may have taken a firm hold on many walks of life, but certain skills remain in the domain of human hands. Case in point: Pakistani truck art with its unique colour stories and quirky calligraphy.

Pakistani truck art was presented to the international market on a prominent level at an exhibition in the US in the year 2002, creating a great stir among the audience due to its distinctive style.

With the passage of time, truck art has managed to captivate a considerable part of the world, with a permanent and active following in the US and Europe as evidenced in its frequent appearance on social, print and electronic media.

Jemima Goldsmith, the ex-wife of Prime Minister Imran Khan, is a fond fan of truck art. She wrote in a tweet that when she came to Pakistan 27 years ago after her marriage, the colourful artwork on trucks caught her immediate attention, adding that it seemed as if the brightly painted vehicles were a sign of an upcoming celebration.

Incidentally, a restaurant named Chai Adda has recently opened its doors in west London, with its Pakistani proprietor Tayyab Shafiq pulling out all stops and decorating the furniture, utensils and walls of the place on theme of truck art.

So impressed was former German Ambassador Martin Kobler with the vivacity and bold strokes of the particular artwork that he transformed his personal car into a poster vehicle for Pakistani truck art.

Many companies in Pakistan as well as Europe have come up with entire clothing collections and home decor on the same theme, almost instantly becoming an overnight trend among the public and capturing the market indefinitely.

The Pakistani pavilion at the Expo 2020 currently being held in Dubai, UAE has also featured a number of truck-art themed objects.

In Pakistan itself, the frenzy is hardly limited to trucks, buses, clothes or miscellaneous times, with a private flying company decorating its fleet of small airplanes with truck art and letting them soar in the skies.

According to a member of the Pakistan Truck Association, there are about 200,000 registered trucks in Pakistan at present, while the number of trucks plying the roads of the Rawalpindi district stands at 2,007 since the last 15 years as per the Rawalpindi Motor Vehicle Registration Authority.

Farrukh Sair alias Gullu Painter, an artist who has dedicated most of the years of his life to truck art, narrated his story about his craft.

“I have been associated with the field for the last 46 years,” said Gullu. “I spent two years in school, but when it became clear that my heart was not into studying, my elder brother dropped me off at the Shoba Bazaar in Peshawar. There, under the tutelage of a painter named Tehseenullah, I trained for six years and learnt all he had to teach me about truck art.”

The artist insisted that this form of art was not just a skill for him, but a keen hobby turned into passion, which he dedicatedly paints on trucks as per the wishes of the owners of the vehicles.

“Every owner wants their truck or bus to look different than the others’,” revealed Gullu. “Among other things, they almost always request that their vehicle’s model number and the name of their hometown be painted prominently.”

Clients also ask him to write slogans or poetry specific to certain areas on the vehicles, he said.

“Phrases like Maa ki dua Jannat ki Hawa, Khair Ho Aap Ki and Khair Naal Aa Khair Naal Ja are quite popular, and so are couplets like Teri Saadgi Mein Itna Husn Hai Tera Singhaar Kesa Ho Ga, Tera Ghussa Aisa Hai Tera Pyar Kesa Ho Ga,” disclosed Gullu.

Most of the truck drivers are partial to having women's eyes, peacocks, eagles, doves and lions painted on their vehicles, while some of them ask him to make portraits of late President Ayub Khan along with the phrase ‘Teri Yaad Aai Teray Jaanay Kay Baad’.

Gullu further said that his clients’ choice of patterns differed from place to place. “There is a marked difference in their preference when it comes to the various tribes belonging to Shinwari, Mohmand, Quetta, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.

It takes the artist five to six days to paint an entire truck, for which he charges approximately Rs8,000 to Rs10,000 depending on the intricacy of designs.

“Apart from trucks, I have also received assignments to paint on house gates, entry points of offices, barber shops and boutiques,” he said.

It is said that the flamboyant element of truck art is rooted in the elaborate style of palace decor found in the Mughal era.

Gullu concurs, adding that the art dates back to three hundred years ago, with gradual shifts in colour schemes and designs occurring along the way. For instance, hues such as grey and henna-green were more in norm than the vibrant splashes of colour seen today.

Relating an anecdote from his own life, Gullu said that once he was commissioned to work on a truck in Kohat on his engagement day, which was to take place in Peshawar. “The owner of the truck I was painting did not let me leave before I finished, so I failed to attend my own engagement ceremony,” he recalled. “All my friends and family were furious with me and I got many earfuls when I finally arrived.”

In Gullu’s family, there is no concept of girls working outside home, but he has taught and continues passing on his knowledge about truck art to his daughter. “I want her to join this field and make a name for herself in this art medium in a much better way than mine,” he declared.

The artist lamented that even after spending 46 years in the business, he still only receives work on a freelancing basis, getting paid from project to project without any stable source of income.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 10^th, 2022.