It is a long way between Delhi and Agra. Connected by a major highway, my travel could have been monotonous and mundane, except there was a constant stream of vibrantly coloured trucks that sparked and stimulated my visual senses.
As India’s economy grows, trucks play a crucial role in transporting goods all over the country. Drivers spend weeks and sometimes months on the road, making the truck their home. Here they cook, eat, sleep and sometimes share the space with co-drivers.
To make their nomadic life more palatable, drivers paint their trucks inside and out. No two trucks are the same. The artwork is very personal and a reflection of the driver’s personality, tastes, beliefs, values and often a reminder of home and their families.
Trucks were introduced to India in the early to mid-20th century during the World Wars, when they were used to transport military cargo. After the wars, the trucks were passed on to the public for use. For a vibrant and colourful culture, the camouflage painted trucks were too severe and it provided the new truck owners with a blank canvas.
Through intense colours, popular phrases, images and accessories a new form of art evolved referred to simply as ‘truck art’. There is a whole industry dedicated to this artform. Professional artists who specialise in truck art have become experts at it. Often, they are second or third generation truck artists.
The artists have a distinctive style that is difficult to replicate, particularly the calligraphy that is executed with precision and very steady hands. The typeface for prominent words such as ‘Horn Please’, is always in English and hand painted in a blocky 3D style. The colours are bright and saturated, rarely featuring black or neutrals. If black is used, it’s typically just to highlight an artistic detail.
Religious symbols, deities, national themes, peacocks (national bird), eagles (signifying speed but always keeping the eye towards home), are some of the common features adorning the vehicles. The evil-looking ‘nazar battu’, a sharp-toothed demon with matted hair is an icon that drivers attach to their trucks in order to bring good luck, provide safe travels and ward off the evil-eye. It is especially important given some of the treacherous roads and lengthy distances drivers must tackle. To give you an idea, a trucker will cover up to 250mi (400km) and drive 12 hours per day.
The catchphrase ‘Horn Please’ and ‘Use Dipper at Night’ written on the back of the trucks are about safety. Honking the horn is communication for overtaking and ‘Use Dipper at Night’ is a request for other drivers to dim their headlights at dusk.
For long haul drivers, a
well decorated truck is a sense of pride, an extension of themselves, their
home away from home.
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