PESHAWAR: Originated several decades ago in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the truck art is slowly carving out a niche for itself in the contemporary fine arts owing to its novel way of expression.

Most truck owners and drivers decorate their trucks to satisfy their internal urge and also wish to portray a glimpse of their cultural identity.

Around 250 truck artisans work with about 400 workshops in and around Peshawar as the city is considered the birthplace of the truck art. `Truck art is done in all major cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but the one done in Peshawar is liked the most,` said Rustam Shah, a truck driver.

Azeem Jan Ustad, a senior painter in Peshawar, told this scribe that that the innovative tradition of the truck art had been started around 1920s. He said that truck art was an artistic form of popular culture of the region and its people.

He said that decoration of a truck involved three stages namely dent, tint and paint. He said that usually, complete decoration of a truck tookone and a half month to get a `bride like look`.

Rauf Gul alias Raufai Ustad said that enamel colours were used to paint the trucks and turned them into mobile art galleries reflective of their beautiful landscapes, film stars, national heroes, portraits and figures of animals and birds. He said that interesting and sometime funny couplets, jokes, proverbs and phrases were also painted on trucks.

He said that catchy phrases lent an altogether different tinge to the truck art. He regretted that truck artists were not duly recognised as they deserved. `If it is a form of art then why, truck artisans are not given their due status,` questioned Mr Gul.

Pir Hamid, a young graduate of National College of Arts (NCA) Lahore, said that decoration of huge vehicles with enamel paints -black, red, yellow, blue, and white -had already become part of the contemporary fine arts owing to its novel way of expression.

He said that dif ferent motifs used in the truck art were also taken up by designers in the textures of cloth.

`Textile designers make a beautiful use of various attractive motifs in their designs. People like suchmotifs drawn from truck mosaics, he added.

`Truck art not only shows our local talent but also sheds light on the romantic outlook of the drivers and truck owners,` said Mr Hamid.

He said that an embellished truck looked like a massive mural on wheels. He added that it was dubbed by foreigners as `jingle truck`.

Mr Hamid said that no two trucks could ever be identical in shape as drivers had varied tastes when it came to decoration.

Roshan Wali, a truck driver, said that there was no direct economic benefit from the decoration of the vehicle but it only showed a strong connection between the truck and the driver.

For large number of painters, truck art is a lucrative job as it brings a handsome amount to them every day. Umar Ali, a truck artist, said that he earned from Rs1,500 to Rs 2,000 per day. He said that truck art could be learnt easily depending on keen interest and love with colours.

`One can learn it if one understands the chemistry of different colours but art also requires deep love and a bit hard work,` said Mr Ali.