Truck Art - Walking Pieces of Art in Pakistan

November 18, 2021

Imagine that you’re traveling on the streets of Pakistan (right now). What do you see? What do your eyes catch? You find the cars, the bikes, the motorcycles, and the buses, the rickshaws, and the trucks? What would appeal to you?

The white corolla in the streets of Saddar, Karachi evidently covered in dust, or something else? If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, that’s what we’re going to talk about.

It’s the beautiful buses, rickshaws, and trucks that capture our attention. Their uniqueness in the detailed truck art, the blend of vibrant and dull colors, and the curves within the art leave us in awe (I find the curves too appealing with the colors and design, haha).

After quick visual attention through the evident beauty of truck art, I bet your eyes catch the poetic Urdu words. Some examples of the Urdu words written on these walking pieces are here for you to enjoy from the coziness of your couch.

Examples of Urdu words in truck art

These words are sometimes poetic such as,

Maa ki Duaa, Jannat ki Hawa (A mother’s prayer is like a breeze from the Heavens)

Dekh Magar Piyaar Say (Look, but with love)

Or they are motivational like,

Jo Beet Gaya, Wo Sapna Hai. Jo Aaj Hai, Wo Apna Hai (What has passed is a dream. What’s today is yours)

Or perhaps humorous,

Faasla Rakhen, Warna Piyaar Hojayega (Maintain distance; otherwise you’ll fall in love)

Or a social reminder like this one to promote consent and personal space,

Faasla Rakhen, Mujhe Piyaar Nahi Karna (Maintain distance, I don’t want to love you)

And sometimes you’ll also find an ounce of sarcasm in the poetic form, which hides the deepest realities,

Horn Aahista Bajaen, Qoum Sou Rahi Hai (Keep the horns low, the nation is sleeping)

Or if not the reality, just plain sarcasm.

Door Door Rehti Hain, Paas Nahi Aati, (Stays away, doesn’t come close)

Kuch Logon Ko Izzat Raas Nahi Aati (Some people do not deserve respect)

Interestingly, the buses, rickshaws, or trucks also become a medium to spread a public message or advertise a lost person or a product or service. And why not? Because these walking art pieces reach the places much more than any person could.

Pakistani truck art in the streets of Karachi, Pakistan

And through their art, they speak. They speak to anyone traveling close to them. They capture our attention, awaken the emotions, or simply turn a bad day into a beautiful day. How beautiful, isn’t it?

I can’t forget this day…

As I recall the poetic moments from the streets of Karachi, Pakistan, I couldn’t stop but share a simple yet sweetest memory from the year 2017. It was the 4th year of undergrad; also the year I was graduating.

It was a very bad day. We had a quiz in one of the courses, Portfolio Management, which didn’t turn out well. As I remember, it was a good 15% of our grade, and we weren’t doing so well in that course already. Well, things weren’t in favor – as I recall.

After the class, we (my friends, Ramsha and Sadia, and I) thought to go out for lunch to a place near to our campus. We were in the car. I was driving. Ramsha was sitting in the passenger seat and Sadia in the back seat.

Now, if you’ve been on the streets of Karachi, Pakistan, you’d know driving is a challenge and can get easily frustrating by a few fellow drivers. I vividly remember that we were upset. We weren’t talking much but made sure to share how terrible we felt with awkward silences. We were silent.

Then suddenly we came beside a crowded bus. I put a brake on the car. We wanted to give way to the bus. If you’ve ever been on the streets in Karachi, you’d know that it’s the best thing you could do. As we stopped and let it pass, we looked at the bus.

The bus immediately caught our attention; not the bus but the floral patterns and the pictures of peacocks and gems. This did not keep our attention as much as the words written at the back of the bus.

Those words were etched into our memories forever,

Mere Mazhab Mein Sharaab Peena Haraam Hai, (My religion does not allow drinking wine)

Iss liyay, Teri Judaai Mein Lassi Pee Raha Hun (So, I’m drinking Lassi after we parted)

We burst out laughing and talked all that we could about this poetry. All woes were forgotten, and a simple thing changed our day completely. It broke the awkward silences. And simply brightened the rest of the day.

Even now, when we talk, we recall how that simple truck art brightened up our day. Even between busy routines, these pieces felt like therapy.

Karachi ki Bus Mein Safar Ho Raha Hai.

What we observed was more than the artistic and poetic side. If you’ve seen a Karachi bus, I bet you’d notice much more, just like us. The loud noise, the constant honking of the horn, and the people screaming, does this sound familiar?

Well, I know you may also hear the loud noise and the people screaming, and those who have heard the poem ‘Karachi ki bus mai safar horaha hai’ could also visualize the words by Zamir Jafri. If you haven’t heard this one, you’re missing out on real fun. So, I’ve added for you below with translation.

Nahi ho raha hai magar ho raha hai (It’s not happening but it is happening)

jo daman tha daman-badar ho raha hai (the ones properly clothed are becoming disheveled)

kamar band gardan k sar ho raha hai (the belt is moving up to the neck)

safina jo zair-o-zabar ho raha hai (the personality is becoming disheveled)

idhar ka musafir udhar ho raha (the passengers are moving here and there)

Karachi ki bus mein safar ho raha hai (we are travelling in a Karachi bus)

chali to musafir ucchalnay lagay hain (as it started to move, the passengers got bumpy)

jo baithay hoai thay woh chalnay lagay hain (the ones sitting are now walking)

qadam ja kay takhnon say talnay lagay hain (passengers started to move on heels)

jo khaya hoa tha, ugalnay lagay hain (whatever they ate, they started to throw up)

tamasha sre-rah-guzar ho raha hai, (the show is happening on the streets)

karachi ki bus mein safar ho raha hai (we are travelling in a Karachi bus)