Pakistani 'truck artist' to paint for peace at Wagah border

Internationally renowned 'truck artist', Haider Ali from Pakistan, will tomorrow "paint for peace" at a food joint on the Indian side of the Attari/Wagah border.
According to Aman Jaspal, the proprietor of the Sarhad food and culture park, who has invited Ali to paint at his establishment, the truck art will convey the message of peace through Punjabi folk themes, especially love, food and festivals, which are part of the composite culture of the two Punjabs.
Ali, one of the most celebrated exponents of the art form, has painted trucks at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, at the Luton Culture Museum in UK, and at Ankara and Istanbul in Turkey, Aman said.

The unique tradition of truck art has an extraordinary history going back to the days of the Raj.
The art form has its roots in the 1920s when competing transport companies hired craftsmen to decorate their buses in order to attract more passengers.
Talking about the context of tomorrow's event, Aman said that youth on both sides of the border wanted peace between the two countries and hence the effort by him to rope in Ali to express that desire in paint.
Aman said that Ali had painted two mini-trucks at Sarhad last year and was returning to paint another Indian vehicle in Pakistani truck art.