The highlight of my recent honeymoon to Kerala was most definitely the moment I looked out of the taxi and spotted a truck park! Oh yes. (Sorry to my new husband) This wasn't any truck park, this was a mega psychedelic day-glow truck, spotted while on our way to Allapuzah having landed at Cochin airport barely 30 minutes prior. This is going to be a great holiday, I thought to myself. 

Kerala really did not disappoint and spotting a truck evoked the same enthusiasm EVERY time. Being the truck lover that I am, this was right up my alley. I asked the taxi driver to pull over for 'only 2 minutes' and jumped out with my camera, leaving Oli in charge of keeping an eye on the luggage and engaging the taxi driver in casual chit chat (i.e buying me more time, so he wouldn't realise I'd been snapping away for at least 30 minutes!)

I came across some friendly faces, others not so friendly (spying on a bunch of drivers playing cards, whilst squatting on the other side of a truck to get an interesting photo didn't go down well I have to say)

The paintwork on these trucks is markedly different from the ones I have seen up north in Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan; specifically the motifs, text and colour sensibility. I didn't spot one painted eagle upon any truck down south whereas in Punjab they are omnipresent and the neon colours are very distinctive. 

There is great emphasis on the name in the front of the truck using very large and bold fonts. I presume most of them are the names of the truck owners, whereas others are more generic like Bright, Global, Christ. My favourite is 'Global'... universal terms these may be, but these trucks could only really be at home on the roads of Kerala. 

Floral patterns that are interspersed with phrases like 'God's own country', 'Prayer is Power', 'Time and Tide wait for no one', constantly remind you that this part of the country is predominantly Christian and has been since the first Portuguese settlers in the 15th Century. 

Oli pointed out how these trucks remind him of Martin Sharp's paintings... particularly the cover of Cream's album, Disraeli Gears. I thought this was such an excellent reference, and also quite an unusual one. I wonder if the painted trucks of India were an inspiration for his work. The scale of the motifs, the layout and the neon colours all bear resemblance to Martin's work (or vice versa) but what I love is the third dimension, the wood carved details and the simpler interiors of the cabins in which they sit (unfortunately I don't have any photos of the driver's cabin)

  

                                                             

For anyone who'd like their own Keralan style hand painted truck, I took down a number :)

PS - I forgot to mention, I got to sit in one of these.

 Manju Cinema, Ludhiana (1945-present)

I have wanted to photograph and document for some time, the old cinemas of Ludhiana. Driving past them week after week, I look at the buildings around them being demolished and new developments coming up and I dread to think what will become of these unloved and unappreciated beauties. They are survivors in a city that is changing, where their historical significance is completely lost on everyone and it seems like it is only a matter of time before they fall prey to some developer who will want to build yet another mall in the city.

With the coming of the PVR and Wave Cinemas, I am sad to say that even I haven't been to any of these to watch a film in a long time. Due to the lack of an audience, the only films they do screen are often along the lines of 'Pyaar ka Karz', 'Masti Express' and 'Husn Bewafa'. Some of these cinemas are not even operational anymore and have been derelict for a few years. The last time I went to an old cinema was in 1995 to watch 'Akele Hum, Akele Tum' with my friends on my 11th birthday. We booked a box, and during the interval my mum sent us snacks and cake. Gosh, how times have changed! You were able to do that in those days, today your snacks are taken away by security before you enter the cinema and you're forced to spend of overpriced popcorn and sweets.

What I liked about these cinemas is that they were 1 screen halls with the 4 standard shows a day, the 10:00am, 1:00pm, 4:00pm and the 7:00pm. You didn't have to check the papers for odd timings and you weren't spoilt for choice. Today, despite the 20 screen multiplexes, the luxurious velvet seats, our cinemas lack soul. They are run off the mill multiplexes that could be anywhere in the world. You could be in any city and have the exact same cinema going experience, which is incredibly sad.

These old cinemas didn't follow a standard tried and tested template of a chain cinema and each one was unique. The attention to detail, the architecture, the hand painted posters, the signage, even the railings and the mini ticket office where someone would sell tickets from a tiny little window were what gave them their own individual character and personality.

I wish someone adopts these great buildings and gives them a new purpose. They could be cultural centres or museums, concert halls or auditoriums! So many possibilities.

 

'Pyaar ka Karz' at Manju Cinema

 I like the oval wheeled windows and hourglass features on the side of Preet Palace, but one of the best features is the Punjabi sign on the front of the building in the exact same font as the English sign.

Preet Palace, Ludhiana

The 'Preet Palace' sign in Punjabi 

Chand cinema, Ludhiana - Jalandhar Highway

 

 

The oldest cinema in Ludhiana - Raikhy Theatre opened it's doors in 1933. Unfortunately, the only films they show here now are b grade Bollywood movies. 

'Husn Bewafa' at Raikhy Theatre, Ludhiana 

Below are photos I took last year on a trip to Lucknow. Some beautiful hindi fonts and very well maintained cinema buildings as compared to the ones in Ludhiana.

'Masti Express' showing at Sahu Cinema, Lucknow

 

 

Umrao cinema, Lucknow

 Tulsi cinema, Lucknow

Novelty Cinema, Lucknow

Passing through Sirhind on the G.T. Road to Delhi, I came across dozens of workshops specialising in the construction of truck bodies and decorating them. Truck owners take great pride in their vehicles and some elaborate trucks take upto 6 months to complete. I was super excited when I was allowed to see some of the process and take photos!

The interiors of the truck are as beautiful, in fact more intricate than the outside most of the time. These are decorated with hand cut vinyl stickers along with beaten metal work.

 

These are some of the templates they use for the interiors. I love the red mirror (below) with its scalloped edges. 

  

There are plenty of shops selling colourful wheel caps for the tyres, cut out vinyl stickers and many other decorative accessories.

PS - Thank you Katie for a great Photoshop tutorial, and of course NellyNero for her fabulous easy to use PS actions.

Wooden painted toys

 

 I found these lovely hand painted toys in Udaipur. In the small lanes around the City Palace, one can find many of these little treasures. From birds to marching bands, 

from jigsaw puzzles to elephants! 

How sweet is this marching band. The men came in a colourful box that reminded me of mithai boxes from when we were little.