A driving passion

What could this possibly be? A magic opening into a fantasy world? A canvas with a twist? (Here's a clue: You see it in Pakistan almost everywhere.) Can't guess? Well, it's the side of a truck!

If Thailand is famous for its colourful tuk-tuks, Haiti for its tap-taps and the Philippines for its jeepneys, Pakistan has taken art to a new level with the motifs on its trucks.

Almost every truck owner spends a small fortune decorating his truck with all - and more - colours of the rainbow. And of course, it helps business. According to a truck owner, business nearly doubles if you have a "good-looking" truck.

Brand new trucks are driven straight from the showroom to the "art districts" in the heart of cities such as Karachi. Here, almost every square inch of the truck's body gets a paint makeover ... till the entire truck turns into an art gallery on wheels.

Traditional artists, who work on these trucks, draw upon popular folk motifs to decorate them.

Sometimes, an intricate art work can take close to two months to complete. But by the end of it, the truck is a moving canvas of picturesque landscapes, ornate calligraphy, beautiful verses, portraits and murals in bright orange, red, green and blue hues.

Colour is not the only medium used to embellish trucks. Tassels, beads, mirrors, gold and silver threads ... all go to make this humble cargo-transporting mobile into a thing that is beautiful to the point of distraction.

Gulf News photographer Asghar Khan, who spotted this truck on one of his assignments in Pakistan, was so fascinated by it that he decided to share it with all of us.

Thanks Asghar!