Pakistan may be famous for many things-politically, socially and economically, but its heavily colored trucks plying the highways place it high on the global artistic atlas. These trucks are nothing but epic pieces of artwork that have been carefully crafted to serve several purposes with the message they carry being personal reflections of the truck owners.
This is considered the second home of truck drivers and they take time and resources to make it comfortable and cozy. They have a hearty intimate attachment with these automobiles.
The artwork that goes into these trucks is not based on colors alone but rather a combination of peculiarly picked objects and subjects. From draped beads, flowers, mirrors, a mosaic of birds, national heroes and superstars, landscapes, photos of saints and lots more.
It is not also uncommon to find a whole poetic stanza or religious phrases boldly outlined somewhere in the exterior. Yet, another one will have bells dangling from the chassis going around the entire periphery and all along jingling as the truck moves along. It is from this makeup that the trucks got picked the nickname “jingle trucks.”
This tradition is now innately inculcated into the Pakistani culture. It dates back to the 1920s when the country sampled the iconic British-made Bedford. Initially, the idea was to have a company painted on the body to make it recognition easier especially for illiterate people. With time, it was more than an identity mission as they were made more outstanding, flamboyant and bold statements to competition. Today, they remain one of the world’s most recognizable artwork on any huge automobiles.
Image Source: Pixabay
