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August 23, 2005 at 6:20 am #19053AqeelParticipant
Origins of Colorful Culture;
This extraordinary tradition has it’s routes in the days of the Raj when craftsmen made glorious horse draw carriages for the gentry. In the 1920’s the Kohistan bus company asked the local Michaelangelo, Ustad Elahi Buksh, a master craftsmen to decorate their buses to attract passengers. Buksh employed a community of artists from the Punjab town of Chiniot, who’s ancestors had worked on many great palaces and temples dating back to the Mogal Empire.
It was not long before truck owners followed suite with their own designs. Through the years the materials used have developed from wood and paint to metal, tinsel, plastic and reflective tape. Within the last few years trucks and buses have been further embellished with full lighting systems.A new undecorated bus costs around £3000 afterwhich owners can expect to pay a further £5000 for a complete decoration which can take up to three months. The cost of decorating a truck is around £3000 on top of the £1500 paid for a new vehicle. Artists are paid between £1.50 and £3 per day.
Peter Grant first saw these vehicles in 1995 when travelling from India to England by motorcycle. “I was awe struck by their beauty and individuality, I knew then I had to return to Pakistan.”
Peter Grants Website
August 23, 2005 at 11:07 am #125896MrOatsMemberThat’s really Amazing. 🙂 I’ve never seen any thing like it; very very Unique.
August 23, 2005 at 3:48 pm #125893AqeelParticipant@MrOats]That’s really Amazing. 🙂 I’ve never seen any thing like it very very Unique.[/QUOTE wrote:
You’re true but you know living here we haven’t figured the importance of this unique culture as almost every vehicle on the roads is decorated, that’s yesterday when I speak to myself; ”Oh! My God… they are really unique”.
See this one great hawk like style of a truck…
August 23, 2005 at 3:49 pm #125891gossipingraeMemberThat second pic looks like a decorated truck at the circus. Neato.
August 23, 2005 at 3:56 pm #125892AqeelParticipantgossipingrae wrote:That second pic looks like a decorated truck at the circus. Neato..
I have not seen any thing like this in any circus, but almost every vehicle here is decorated the same way, specialy the trucks.
The transport business is majorily carried by people of NWFP, the ‘Pathans’ (NWFP People) they call their trucks their beloveds or brides:)August 23, 2005 at 4:02 pm #125897__m3nt4l__Membergossipingrae wrote:That second pic looks like a decorated truck at the circus. Neato. lmfao..wow.August 24, 2005 at 6:58 pm #125898Lord_SetuweathMemberIt’s amazing how detailed they are! How can they do it in 3 months?
August 24, 2005 at 8:24 pm #125894AqeelParticipantLord_Setuweath wrote:It’s amazing how detailed they are! How can they do it in 3 months?Actually this is done because of team work, specific tasks added to specific artisans, moreover it’s become an industry there, so now many of the items used in decorating vehicles are found ready made as 70% plus vehicles here are decorated, the work getting more and more beautiful and professional.September 10, 2005 at 9:03 pm #125895AqeelParticipant:new: That’s a new link I found related to truck art, it’s all about truck art on home items, worth to have a look specially the ladies http://www.tribaltruckart.com/support.html
September 17, 2005 at 3:24 am #125890RabidKittenParticipantThose are incredible, Aqeel. I’ve always loved things a little off center, a little fun and interesting, not done ever day.
Wow, 70% of trucks? That’s amazing…I wonder if people will start doing that here… well…other than throwing a confederate flag in their back window *wrinkles her nose up* Hear Ye, Hear Ye! The War is over! The South Lost! *sigh, rubs her head*
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