The Truck Art: My heart is for sale, the price is but your smile...

_{Truck art showing a hand-painted portrait of the artist Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi, a musician and singer from Punjab, Pakistan.}

Okay, I know that you know I am on an expedition. While I may not be able to cover everything in my travelog later, I'm sharing a little of this and that with you. Now we are on our way back home, making pit stops. There were many interesting things that happened today, but this truck caught my eye. I don't know if you're familiar with the culture of truck art in Pakistan, but the painting on this truck depicted a true Isakhelwi in his prime youth. He is a folk singer and quite popular in our country.

On a side note, it was kind of a truck day today. We had to overtake dozens of trucks, and that too on a mountain route. They move extremely slowly and can sometimes be a pain in the ... But they are so integral for the transport of goods to and from far-flung places in our or any country.

Where was I? Yes, a few lines about truck art. Pakistan's "truck art" has become a globally recognized genre. This vibrant and intricate form of decorating trucks, lorries, and even rickshaws originated in South Asia, particularly in Pakistan. The tradition involves adorning vehicles with elaborate floral patterns and poetic calligraphy, creating a unique and eye-catching art form.

What impressed me today was a very young version of the aforementioned singer, rendered quite accurately. The artists who do such decorative paintings on trucks are not professionals; they practice this art specifically on these trucks and are sometimes even called truck artists. They can paint a whole truck for around 5,000 PKR to 10,000 PKR, which, if converted to Steem, become 65 to 130 STEEM. (Finally, I joined the club with this mention of Steem conversion value 😀). Anyways, you can imagine the market value of the truck artist or painter.

Additionally, it was surprising and heartwarming to see that the portrait of this singer, who hails from the northwest (punjab) part of the country, was popular in the northern parts (KPK, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kohistan) of the country, despite the different languages and cultures. I didn't see just one, but many trucks with the same painting. Perhaps the singer is gaining popularity due to a new song rendition with a pop singer. By the way, It's my favorite song these days too.

Specially the stanza:

Main athe te dhol Multan ae
Main athe te dhol Multan ae
Ohde butt vich meri jaan ae
Meriya ve maahiya
Meriya ve maahiya
Kad sajnaan da chhota ae
Kaaliyaan zulfan de vich mukh chann da ve tuta ae

(Roman)

میں اتھے تے ڈھول ملتان اے

میں اتھے تے ڈھول ملتان اے

اوہدے بت وچ میری جان ای

میریا وے ماہیا

میریا وے ماہیا

وے کد سجناں دا چھوٹا اے

کالیاں زلفاں دے وچ مکھ چن دا وے ٹوٹا اے

(Siriaki language)

The last two lines translate into:

My beloved, petite in stature,
Her face, like a full moon, shines amidst her black locks.

Well, to be honest, he is saying that his beloved is short in height, not just petite (which he obviously loves). I can't stop blushing whenever this song plays in our car. Lol. Assuming I am the short-heighted sajna (beloved). Sorry for the excessive cringe. 🫣

I think this was the whole point of this post: the truck art, the painted artist, the song by this artist, and my own love angle.

I am just kidding. I wanted to share with you this special art in case you haven't heard of it. Truck art in Pakistan serves multiple purposes. It is not only a form of artistic expression but also a means of personalizing and customizing trucks, making them stand out on the roads. Truck drivers and owners often take great pride in the decoration of their vehicles, which can include intricate paintings, calligraphy, and embellishments. They truly cherish their vehicles, with some believing that decorating their trucks with colorful art brings good luck and protection on the roads.

I am not going to dig into the history of this art, but I can tell you that this art has now become an identity and genre in our country. It is also gaining popularity worldwide and many arts and crafts items are being made on this pattern.

Let me share a few more images with you.

_sr

As I have mentioned earlier, these trucks are not only painted, they are also decorated with chains, tassles and different kinds of jewellery like items.

_{painted in bright colours and shiny things sr}

Some times, very catchy rather awkward, phrases are also written on these trucks. Let me show you:

_{source: Pinterest}

You will laugh if I tell you the translation of this:

My heart is for sale, the price is but your smile.

And apparently the driver is addressing all the beautiful ladies out there on the road or maybe it's his wishful thinking...